Negotiating, Social Sciences, Sociology, Business & Finance 

Long a fruitful area of scrutiny for students of organizations, the study of institutions is undergoing a renaissance in contemporary social science. This volume offers, for the first time, both often-cited foundation works and the latest writings of scholars associated with the "institutional" approach to organization analysis.

In their introduction, the editors discuss points of convergence and disagreement with institutionally oriented research in economics and political science, and locate the "institutional" approach in relation to major developments in contemporary sociological theory. Several chapters consolidate the theoretical advances of the past decade, identify and clarify the paradigm's key ambiguities, and push the theoretical agenda in novel ways by developing sophisticated arguments about the linkage between institutional patterns and forms of social structure. The empirical studies that follow--involving such diverse topics as mental health clinics, art museums, large corporations, civil-service systems, and national polities--illustrate the explanatory power of institutional theory in the analysis of organizational change.

Required reading for anyone interested in the sociology of organizations, the volume should appeal to scholars concerned with culture, political institutions, and social change.  

Table of Contents:
Institutionalized organizations / John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan -- Iron cage revisited / Paul J. Di Maggio and Walter W. Powell -- Role of institutionalization in cultural persistence / Lynne G. Zucker -- Organization of societal sectors / W. Richard Scott and John W. Meyer -- Institutions, institutional effects, and institutionalism / Ronald L. Jepperson -- Unpacking institutional arguments / W. Richard Scott -- Expanding the scope of institutional analysis / Walter W. Powell -- Public order and construction of formal organizations / Ronald L. Jepperson and John W. Meyer -- Bringing society back in / Roger Friedland and Robert R. Alford -- Constructing an organizational field as a professional project / Paul J. DiMaggio -- Making corporation actors accountable / Joseph Galaskiewicz -- Structural transformation of American Industry / Neil Fligstein -- Institutional origins and transformations / Steven Brint and Jerome Karabel -- Organizational isomorphism in East Asia / Marco Orrù, Nichole Woolsey Biggart, and Gary G. Hamilton -- Institutional change and ecological dynamics / Jitendra V. Singh, David J. Tucker, and Agnes G. Meinhard. 

Includes bibliographical references (p. 423-463) and index.