South Asia
1800sG.S Ghurye1900sIrawati KarveM. N. SrinivasMiddle East
1400sIbn KhaldunEurope
1700sAuguste ComteEmmanuel Joseph Sieyès1800sÉmile DurkheimHarriet MartineauKarl MarxGeorg SimmelHerbert SpencerFerdinand TönniesMax Weber1900sMichel FoucaultJürgen HabermasNorth America
1800sJane AddamsErnest BurgessW.E.B. Du BoisGeorge Herbert MeadThorstein Veblen1900sJames ColemanPatricia Hill CollinsErving GoffmanPaul LazarsfeldCharles Wright MillsRobert K. MertonTheda SkocpolDorothy E. SmithListsBibliographyTerminologyJournalsOrganizationsPeopleTimelineBy country Society portalvteInstitutions (singular: institution) are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and norms are all examples of institutions. Institutions vary in their level of formality and informality.
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