The DOI matches its Crossref record; 122 of the 128 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 1 are not checked yet.
A Grammar of Institutions
Abstract
The institutional grammar introduced here is based on a view that institutions are enduring regularities of human action in situations structured by rules, norms, and shared strategies, as well as by the physical world. The rules, norms, and shared strategies are constituted and reconstituted by human interaction in frequently occurring or repetitive situations. The syntax of the grammar identifies components of institutions and sorts them into three types of institutional statements: rules, norms, and shared strategies. We introduce the grammar, outline methods for operationalizing the syntax, apply the syntax to an analysis of cooperation in collective dilemma situations, and discuss the pragmatics of the grammar for analyses of behavior within complex institutional settings.
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“IG conceptualizes institutions as systems of statements that specify who may or must do what, under which conditions, and with what consequences [9].”
From Governance in Practice: How Open Source Projects Define and Document Roles (2026) · cites this paper as [9]
Citations
Cites
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
North, D. C. (1990) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511808678 · Cited by 32,691
Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977) · American Journal of Sociology · doi:10.1086/226550 · Cited by 28,308
Outline of a Theory of Practice
Bourdieu, P. (1977) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511812507 · Cited by 27,606
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
Munger, M. C., & North, D. C. (1991) · Southern Economic Journal · doi:10.2307/1060065 · Cited by 25,224
(1984) · Cited by 21,166
Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action
Ostrom, E. (1990) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511807763 · Cited by 20,653
Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action
Field, B. C., & Elinor Ostrom, B. (1992) · Land Economics · doi:10.2307/3146384 · Cited by 19,100
Outline of a Theory of Practice.
Frank, A. W., & Bourdieu, P. (1980) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2066038 · Cited by 14,591
ASPECTS OF THE THEORY OF SYNTAX
Chomsky, N. (1964) · doi:10.21236/ad0616323 · Cited by 13,587
The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis
Powell, W., & DiMaggio, P. (1993) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/2393344 · Cited by 11,926
Flagged first, then by citations
5 of the 128 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 10
- Popper, 1967, Le fondements philosophiques des systems economiques
- Ostrom, 1986, Guidance, Control, and Evaluation in the Public Sector
- Coleman, 1987, Economic Imperialism
- Mansbridge, 1990, Beyond Self-interest
- Frank, 1988, Passions within Reason
- Schauer, 1991, Playing by the Rules
- McGinnis Michael D. 1993. “Heterogeneity of Interpretation: Rule Repertoires, Strategies, and Regime Maintenance.” Presented at the conference on Heterogeneity and Collective Action, Indiana University, Bloomington.
- von Wright, 1951, Deontic Logic., Mind, 60, 58
- Weissing, 1991, Game Equilibrium Models II: Methods, Morals, and Markets
- Offe, 1980, Two Logics of Collective Action: Theoretical Notes on Social Class and Organizational Form., Political Power and Social Theory, 1, 67
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The Tortuous Path of Educational Decentralization in Mexico
Órnelas, C. (2016) · SensePublishers eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-6300-729-0_6 · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Crawford, S. E. S., & Ostrom, E.
- Affiliations
- Creighton University (US)
- Venue
- American Political Science Review
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1995-09
- Volume
- 89
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 582-600
- ISSN
- 0003-0554 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5943
- OpenAlex
- W2037627831
- Semantic Scholar
- e2582728285ec5ceceeb904176b496cf94a46753
- Cited by
- 1,362
- References
- 128
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 80 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 72 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 101 · 2019: 123 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 61 · 2014: 55 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 12.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Political Science Review (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic Theory and Institutions
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Keywords
- institutional grammar, institutions, rules, norms, institutional statements, cooperation, social norms, human interaction
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