Our Institutions
Function
The general function of any societal institution is to enable society to meet a class of needs of its members as well as possible via rational action and organisation.
The specific function of a particular societal institution is more complicated. Those deeply involved with the institution see needs in one way, while those primarily involved with other institutions see needs in their own terms.
Example: 
Education
The essential function of the educational institution could be "to impart knowledge that enables a person to thrive in society". But there is also an expectation of character development in the sense of inculcating particular social values like cooperation, responsibility, diligence, fairness, honesty, respect, empathy, competitiveness &c. Then there are other functions which education is expected to deal with like citizenship (because of the importance of government), and vocational preparedness (because of the importance of the economy).
There is nothing new about social needs. But there is something new about a society being organized to meet those. Traditional and autocratic societies, that is to say those committed to the authoritarian politics of privileged pluralism, do not grow societal institutions. In many cases, their population subsists in a semi-starved state left to their own devices.
Meeting needs is the enlightened goal of politics. So institutions only emerge with political maturation. Their evolution depends on individual initiative within a legally supportive environment. The details of an institution's development is a product of many factors including:
• knowledge of the issues
• trial-and-error
• risk-taking
• scientific development
• disciplined awareness
• everyday observation
• systematic investigation
• self-regulation
• government support.
More...
The emergence of institutions was facilitated by the scientific revolution of the 17th Century, and particularly by the enlightenment of the 18th Century. Society made a memorable shift once the equality of citizens under the law was established. It powered ahead once it was widely realized that progress would more surely come from applying reason rather than deferring to authority, no matter how benign.
Institutional growth does not occur in a straight line. The pull of elites and vested interests to shape institutions to serve their own interests rather than the public's needs never vanishes. For example, monopolies are known to generally act against the public interest and yet governments in liberal democratic societies repeatedly assign monopolistic powers to favoured businesses.
Examples
The following institutions, alphabetically listed, are recognizable in modern societies:
- defense - security
- the economy
- education
- government - politics
- healthcare
- justice
- media - communication
- welfare - safety
- cultural preservation
Given their origin in a cluster of entities, institutions are liable to split if one section becomes so important, complex and specialized that it develops its own culture. For example, it could be argued that «finance» is a distinct institution within «the economy».
See Institutional Components:
This table is offered to illuminate and does not attempt to be complete, especially in regard to components. Some entities may be part of more than one institution. Societies will vary.
Political-Governance
Need for arbitration amongst the institutions and orchestration of social development
+
services that focus on the public good, not-for-profit bodies.
|
Political parties, ideological think tanks, government, head of state, lobbyists, judiciary, constitution, legislation for democracy, bill of rights, anti-corruption bodies, political advisors and consultants, councils, neighbourhood associations, citizen advice services
PLUS
Civil service, state agencies, regulatory authorities, civil liberty campaigning bodies.
|
Education
Need for knowledge and specialized skills.
|
Kindergardens, primary schools, secondary schools, universities, business schools, private and religious schools, teacher training colleges, apprenticeships, trade schools, teaching unions, accreditors, educational testers, grant-giving bodies, school buses. |
The Economy
Need for development, production and marketing of diverse goods and services
+
Need for money.
|
Business, unions, corporations, regulatory bodies, property investors, brokers, housing, stock market, other markets, insurance, trusts, banks, cryptocurrency-related entities, chambers of commerce, transport system, power provision, other utilities, tourism, events.
PLUS
Banks, regulators, monetary authority, government treasury, payment systems, taxes, asset custody, asset storage, the mint, venture capital, private equity. |
Welfare
Need for a safety net for all and support for the least well-off.
+
Need for help in an emergency |
Housing-related bodies, financial security–related bodies, charities, community groups, concessions, social workers, disability support, social security, pensions, unemployment benefits, job finding, re-training services, refugee services, migrant services, youth support, victims of violence or crime support, regulatory authorities (e.g. food safety, building safety).
PLUS
fire service, emergency service, disaster relief, rescue service, lifeguards. |
Legal system
Need for adjudication of civil disputes and prosecution of crimes. |
Lawyers, judges, courts, tribunals, prisons, probation service, legislation, crown prosecution, mediation and arbitration services, legal aid, legal publishers, forensic scientists. |
Defense – Security
Need to defend against internal fraud, violence, terror and against external threats. |
Police, domestic intelligence, coast guard, anti-corruption bodies, armed forces, military intelligence, espionage, reservists, veterans’ support.
|
Mass Media
Need for information about situations and events.
|
Print media, social media, radio, television, films, music industry, publishers, internet, broadband, communication satellite, billboards. |
Healthcare
Need for bodily and mental well-being.
|
Doctors and medical organisations, emergency services, hospitals, public health, hospices, nursing organisations, paramedicals, pharmacies, dentistry, midwifery, regulatory agencies, aged care, gymnasiums, medical research, pharmaceutical firms, biotech companies, patient support groups, relevant publishers, specialist journalists.
|
Science
Need to master the environment and support innovation.
|
Scientific disciplines in academia, R&D within organisations, scientific advisors to government, special institutes, governmental departments, public funding. |
Cultural Preservation
Need for customs, history, beauty play, meaning, means to bear suffering, channel spirituality.
|
Organised Religion: Congregations, churches of all sorts, social rituals, affiliated organisations, church schools, Sunday schools, separation of church and state.
The Arts: Music, performance arts, plastic arts, artistic venues, art schools, fashion, funding bodies, relevant government department, museums, folk arts, holidays, celebrations. Preservation of history. Funerals. |
Why Isn't «The Family» an Institution?
«The Family» can only be labeled as an institution in the non-taxonomic sense of the term. That is to say: the family is the customary way to live and to rear children. As an arena, the difference is stark.
In THEE, the Family-Household is a distinct Arena (Q1), more foundational and simpler in operation than Societal Institutions (Q4). In any society, the «Family-Household» arena is realized in millions of actual cases, but there are only a handful of societal institutions, one health system, one educational system etc. The similarity of these two Arenas is evident in that they share a quadrant in the PH'5Q Arenas TET.
As explained in the account of origins and illustrated in the above Table, societal institutions are systems constructed around the interactions of a core of well-known major organisations or associations including governmental entities. This core is surrounded by a periphery of many, at least hundreds and usually thousands or tens of thousands smaller organised bodies. However, membership is ultimately based on most if not all members of society, who are the human resource base for staffing all those bodies.
Significance of each Member
Every member of society is affected by the performance of each societal institution as a whole, although any single engagement is mediated by specific bodies within it. Despite disagreements on methods and outcomes, every member has an interest, usually a vested interest, and therefore wishes to influence the overall operation to be better served. That requires time and effort: it is work and deserves to be recognized as such, even if payment is often or usually not appropriate.
The expectation that a community or society should be organised so as to meet -personal-communal needs arises spontaneously in every person unless they are sociopaths.
At a society level, neglect could be due to an individualism that puts personal gain over common welfare (as in USA); or due to a regime that ruthlessly beats its subjects into passive acceptance (as in Russia).
While all citizens can sense and uphold values and expectations of institutional service. Many, given a favourable social milieu, can do more: publicizing careful descriptions of failures, making intelligent criticisms of performance, analysing problems and suggesting possible improvements, creating businesses and charitable bodies to meet gaps.
Q: Why not leave it to government, regulators or the main organisations?
A:
Any component body within an institution necessarily places its own self-interest first. This interest is properly defined by its mission, but is also influenced by personal aspirations or desires for power. This is natural.
The only impartial entity that wants personal-communal needs met properly is «the citizenry» that constitutes the prime controller of a values-based society and should therefore oversee its government.
Those in the employ of social bodies within the institution typically have their primary duty towards their employer. That means they seek to enable its principal objects (PH6L4) and policies (PsH6G22) and put social needs (PH6L5) second. It follows that institutional failures are commonly traceable to governments and large powerful organisations striving for their own self-interest.
Even regulatory authorities (PH6G52), which are set up to preserve and apply social values, cannot be depended upon. They typically have a narrow focus on some small sensitive or contentious part of an institution, are bureaucratically constrained by their terms of reference, tend to succumb to political pressure, and repeatedly suffer "regulatory capture" by becoming agents of the sector they are expected to regulate.
Originally posted: 14-Nov-2022. Last amended: 19-Mar-2024.