Old and New ‘Institutionalism(s)
Stefano Bartolini and Adrienne Héritier
Second Semester Seminar 2001-2002
Tuesday morning 9-11 in seminar room n. 3
Register with Liz Webb (webb@iue.it)
This reading seminar is devoted to the institutionalist literature in the social sciences. The theme
of ‘institutions’ and the ‘institutionalist’ approach is as old as social thinking is. In the ‘Western’
culture, Aristotle’s study of the Greek city-states constitutions should probably be regarded as
the first systematic and comparative institutional analysis. Since then, the topic has surfaced with
varying intensity and salience in different historical periods and in the work of virtually all major
social and political thinkers. From this general point of view, to review the theme of
‘institutionalism’ would amount to review a far too large proportion of social thinking, a task
that is clearly impossible. More recently, in the last fifteen years, the theme has been
‘rediscovered’ and re-launched within each of the major social science disciplines (sociology,
political science, international relations, etc.) and paradigms (rational choice, constructivism,
historical analysis, etc.). This most recent emphasis has been labeled and acknowledged as an
approach of its own, generally identified as ‘neo-institutionalism’. The goal of the seminar is to
critically review this recent literature development and also to evaluate how much in it is
genuinely new in terms of substantive evidence and methodological approach.
The concept of ‘institution’ and that of ‘institutionalism’ have been stretched so much in the
social sciences that even limiting the search to the most recent years yields an impressive list of
titles in practically all fields of social sciences. The selection of the readings has been operated
paying attention to the quality and influence of the articles but also trying to cover all major
sectors and approaches of the social sciences. This will make the seminar worthwhile for a large
section of SPS researchers.
The seminar is divided into two major parts. For two thirds the seminar will review influential
contributions of a methodological and/or approach type as well as a number of empirical
applications and examples of the proposed approach. The second part of the seminar (Prof.
Adrienne Héritier will join the seminar at this stage) will be devoted to the more specific topics
of the institutional analysis of the European integration process, discussing different theories of
institutional change focusing on the preconditions, modes and outcomes of institutional change
in Europe.
To be credited for the seminar attendance, participants are expected to actively engage in the
discussion of the materials distributed weekly. More precisely, at least two discussants for each
meeting will be asked to take responsibility for one reading section or reading set. They will
have to introduce the theme of the week with a paper structuring the following discussion. The
paper will be short and concise (two-three pages), ideally organised by points, making clear
which general issues and criticism they generate. After a twenty/thirty minutes presentation by
the discussants, a general discussion will follow.
Part One: Varieties of ‘institutionalism’ in sociology and political science
February 5: Introduction to the topic; discussion of the seminar structure and readings;
distribution of tasks.
February 12:
1. Gabriel Almond 1988. The Return to the State. American Political Science Review, Vol.
82, 3:853-74.
2. Shepsle, Kenneth A. 1989. Studying Institutions: Some Lessons from the Rational
Choice Approach. Journal of Theoretical Politics (1): 131-147.
3. March, James G., and Johan P. Olsen. 1989. Rediscovering Institutions. New York: The
Free Press, pp. 1-38 and 159-172.
4. Reich, Simon, The Four Faces of Institutionalism: Public Policy and a Pluralistic
Perspective, in Governance, 2000, pp.501-21
5. Finnemore, Martha. 1996. Norms, Culture, and World Politics: Insights From
Sociology’s Institutionalism. International Organization 50 (2): 325-347
February 19
1. Meyer, John W., and Brian Rowen. 1991. Institutionalized Organizations: Formal
Structures as Myth and Ceremony. In The New Institutionalism in Organizational
Analysis, edited by Paul J. DiMaggio and Walter W. Powell. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 41-62.
2. DiMaggio, Paul J., and Walter W. Powell. 1991. The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional
Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields. In The New
Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis, edited by Walter W. Powell and Paul J.
DiMaggio. Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press, 63-82.
March 5
1. Hall, Peter A., and Rosemary C. R. Taylor. 1996. Political Science and the Three New
Institutionalisms. Political Studies 44: 936-957.
2. Hall, Peter A., and Rosemary C. R. Taylor. 1998. The Potential of Historical
Institutionalism. A Response to Hay and Wincott. Political Studies 46: 958-962.
March 8:
1. Checkel, Jeffrey T. 1999. International Institutions and Socialization. Working Paper, 5.
Oslo: ARENA, University of Oslo, February.
2. Risse, Thomas forthcoming 2002. Constructivism and International Institutions. In Ira
Katznelson and Helen Milner eds.. Political Science as Discipline? Reconsidering Power,
Choice, and the State at Century’s End.
March 12:
Prof. Jurg Steiner: Deliberative Politics. The cross-national study of parliamentary debates
(materials to be distributed)
March 19: Historical and Sociological Institutionalism
1. Jepperson, Ronald L. forthcoming 2002. The Development and Application of
Sociological Institutionalism. In New Directions in Sociological Theory: The Growth of
Contemporary Theories, edited by Joseph Berger and Morris Jr. Zelditch. Lanham MD:
Rowman & Littlefield,
2. Mahoney, James, 2000. Path Dependence in Historical Sociology, Theory and Society
29: 507-548.
3. Pierson, P., Skocpol, Th., Historical Institutionalism in Comtemporary Polit. Science,
APSA, Wash. DC, Sept. 2000, Internet
4. Thelen Kathleen and Sven Steinmo 1992. Historical Institutionalism in Comparative
Politics. In Steinmo, Sven, Kathleen Thelen, and Frank Longstreth, eds. 1992.
Structuring Politics. Historical Institutionalism in Comparative Analysis. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press, 1-32.
5. Thelen, Kathleen. 1999. Historical Institutionalism in Comparative Politics. Annual
Review of Political Science 2: 369-404.
6. Immergut, Ellen M. 1996. The Normative Roots of the New Institutionalism. Historical
Institutionalism and Comparative Policy Studies. In Beiträge zur Theorieentwicklung in
der Politik- und Verwaltungswissenschaft, edited by Arthur Benz and Wolfgang Seibel.
Baden-Baden: Nomos, 325-355.
April 16: Rational choice and political economy institutionalism
1. North, Douglass and Barry Weingast. 1989. "Constitution and Commitment: The
Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England,"
Journal of Economic History 49, (Dec.): 803-832
2. Weingast, Barry R. 1995. "The Economic Role of Political Institutions: MarketPreserving Federalism and Economic Development." Journal of Law, Economics, and
Organization 11, 1: 1-31,
3. Greif, Avner, 1994. "Cultural Beliefs and the Organization of Society: A Historical and
Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individualist Societies." Journal of Political
Economy 102 (5): 912-950.
4. Greif, Avner. 1997. On the Social Foundations and Historical Development of
Institutions that Facilitate Impersonal Exchange: From the Community Responsibility
System to Individual Legal Responsibility in Pre-Modern Europe. Paper. Stanford
University.
5. Milgrom, Paul R., Douglass C. North and Barry R. Weingast 1990, 'The Role of
Institutions in the Revival of Trade: The Law Merchant, Private Judges and the
Champagne Fairs' Economics and Politics 2,1: 1-24.
April 19: International politics institutionalism.
1. Keohane, Robert O. 1989. The Demand for International Regimes. In R. O. Keohane,
International Institutions and State Power. Boulder CO: Westview Press, 101-131.
2. Grieco, Joseph 1993. Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the
Newest Liberal Institutionalism. In David A. Baldwin (ed.), Neorealism and
Neoliberalism. The Contemporary Debate, New York: Columbia University Press, 116140.
3. March, James/Olsen, Johan 1998.The Institutional Dynamics of International Political
Orders. International Organization 52: 943-969.
4. April 23: Institutional change
5. Knight, Jack, 1995. Models, Interpretations, and Theories, Constructing Explanations of
Institutional Emergence and Change. In J. Knight, I. Sened, eds. Explaining Social
Institutions. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 95-119.
6. Thelen, Kathleen, How Institutions Evolve: Insights from Comparative-Historical
Analysis, Draft Chapter for inclusion in J. Mahoney, D. Rueschemeyer, eds.
Comparative-Historical Analysis: Innovations in Theory and Method. On the Internet.
7. Hollingsworth, Rogers J. 2000. Doing institutional analysis: implications for the study of
innovations. Review of International Political Economy 7: 595-644.
8. Soskice, David, Robert H. Bates and David Epstein 1992. Ambition and Constraint: The
stabilizing role of institutions. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 8: 547-560
9. Weir, Margaret 1992. Ideas and the Politics of Bounded Innovation. In Steinmo, Sven,
Kathleen Thelen, and Frank Longstreth, eds.. Structuring Politics. Historical
Institutionalism in Comparative Analysis. Cambridge - New York: Cambridge University
Press, .
Part Two: Institutional Change in Europe
April 30: Rational Choice Institutionalism:
1. Moravcsik, A. and K. Nicolaidis 1999. Eplaining the Treaty of Amsterdam: Interests,
Influence, Institutions. Journal of Common Market Studies, 59-86.
2. Jupille, J. and J.A. Caporaso 1999. Institutionalism and the European Union: Beyond
Comparative Politics and International Relations, International Review of Political
Science, 429- 444.
May 7
1. Pollack, M. 1998. The Engines of Integration? Supranational Autonomy and Influence in
the European Union. In W.Sandtholtz, A.Stone Sweet eds. European Integration and
Supranational Governance Oxford: Oxford University Press, 217-249.
2. Jupille, J. 2001. Intergovernmental Contracting: Everyday Choice and Long-Run Change
in European Union Institutions. San Francisco: APSA Paper.
May 14: Neofunctionalist/institutionalist approaches:
1. Hix, S. 2002. Constitutional Agenda Setting Through Discretion in Rule Interpretation:
Why the European Parliament Won at Amsterdam. British Journal of Political Science,
forthcoming
2. Farrell, H. and A. Héritier 2002. Formal and Informal Institutions in Europe: Continuous
Constitution-Building under Codecision. Bonn: Manuscript.
May 21: Historical institutionalist approaches:
1. Pierson, P. 1996. The Path to European Integration: A Historical Institutionalist Analysis.
Comparative Political Studies, 123-163
2. Lindner, J. and B. Rittberger 2001, The Creation, Interpretation and Contestation of
Institutions – Taking Historical Institutionalism Seriously. Oxford: Manuscript.
May 28: Sociological institutionalist and constructivist approaches:
1. Christiansen, T. and K.E. Jörgensen 1999. The Amsterdam Process: A Structurationist
Perspective on EU Treaty Reform. European Integration Online Papers
2. Checkel, J. and A. Moravcsik, 2001. A Constructivist Research Programme in EU
Studies? European Union Politics, 219 – 49.