What is an Institution?
getting beyond anti-institutional sentiment
In our thumbs up and thumbs down culture, when you hear the word, “institution,” which icon do you click? In my interactions I mostly see thumbs down. We may know that governments, universities, churches and marriages are institutions even though we may not be able to define “institution.” Nevertheless, an anti-institutional sentiment has saturated our thinking. If you were to fill in the blank preceding “institution,” which adjective would you choose? ______________ institution.
Would you choose one of these? Corrupt…Archaic…Invasive…Oppressive…Crumbling…? Or would you choose one of these? Helpful…Venerable…Reliable…Beloved…Valued…5-Star…?
…reading Wikipedia… “An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social 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.” According to Wolfgang Streeck and Kathleen Thelen, institutions are, in the most general sense, "building blocks of social order….” Sounds good to me. The definitions also seem inescapable.
If you lean toward anti-institutional sentiment, then a hermit would be your hero. If you value institution then you may also recognize that any group of human beings working together in a devised structure of rules and norms has its difficulties. You might say, “But we can’t live without them,” or you might even be more bully and say, “We would be lost without them.”
Have you ever heard someone say, “Any institution lasts for 50 to 100 years before it becomes corrupt, defunct or obsolete?” Just like all of us individuals, institutions have life-spans. A recent Gallup Poll 2024 claims that 68% of Americans lack confidence in their national government. Confidence in the judiciary is at an all-time low at 42%. You can read the analysis in this Voice of America news article. The institution of the church fared badly in the poll - 30% of Americans have “very little confidence” in the organized church.
Perhaps the biggest news in this vein lately has been the halls of higher education crumbling. With university tuition rising over $100,000 as high as $300,000 for four years, individuals like Jordan Peterson are offering alternatives. The Peterson Academy, an online university-level education comes with an annual price tag of $449.99. A growing number of young adults are foregoing university, entering the trades or another field of the workforce. Of course, they do not escape participation in an institution. Labor Unions are institutions. The Chamber of Commerce is an institution.
American Service Clubs are declining - Rotary International, Lions, Kiwanas, Shriners…have you ever heard of the Odd Fellows? How about the Moose Lodge? Michael Brand of Oregon City, a philanthropist and grant maker has posted in publication of a Rotary International District in Minneapolis, a brief article, “Why Service Organizations are Dying (and How to Fix Them.)” He writes, “It’s not that our clubs have changed. America has changed.” For years in Portland, Oregon, I was a member of Rotary International. When I moved to a small town in Idaho, I joined the only local service club, Lions. I can assure you that these clubs have changed little in years. In meetings my mind wanders often to thoughts of how we can change to attract and engage the rising generations. A few times I have opened my big mouth to suggest change and I am met with silence at best.
Here’s one example: My Lions Club has held an annual Turkey Raffle in the Autumn ever since Benjamin Franklin suggested that the turkey be the national bird. Our ticket sales have sharply declined. For $1 a person can buy a ticket with the chance of winning a frozen turkey. Here’s the problem as I see it. Turkey is cheap per pound around Thanksgiving season. Fewer of us, especially the rising generations, do not wish to eat a bird shot with hormones and weighing in at a rather high fat content. All the proceeds go fund local scholarships, $200 each to graduating seniors who apply. $200 barely buys one textbook let alone defray an annual tuition of $40k. Every club member is on the hook for selling 50 tickets and so a growing number of us simply fork out $50 bucks rather than selling our tickets to others. This annual fundraiser rocked even 20 years ago, but as Michael Brand says, “America has changed.”
Brand offers six fixes to keep service clubs alive. And he may be correct in his analysis. But in a Gofundme.com world, there are easier ways to raise funds for good causes. His fixes focus on building face to face community and I agree with him. Our communities are broken for so many social reasons. He also hints at what we care about and thus raise funds towards. One problem he does not address is the plethora of institutions raising funds in our community with little attempt to work together and focus our efforts. For example, every time I buy groceries now, a cashier invites me to donate to some cause: “Would you like to round up your bill to benefit..?” In recent years I have bought more Christmas wreaths than I have doors in my house because I can’t say “No” to kids raising funds for good causes I thought were being covered by my property taxes.
There! I’ve departed quite far from my question, “What is an institution?” Or have I?
New institutions are born every day. My daughter is the coordinator of her Trails Sister chapter in Boise. A few of my friends are members of Hospice. A friend of mine started a church for Atheists. Large corporations, institutions in themselves, have provided for their employees various services, gatherings, and activities, all of which have been hosted by not for profit institutions for generations. For example, at Nike International in Beaverton, Oregon, employees on campus can access the following: childcare, licensed counseling, health club, restaurants, social clubs, discussion groups and ongoing education. A Nike employee has less need for an international service club, a college, a church, or a medical clinic. “America has changed.”
Institutions are best, in my opinion, when they do the following: #1 = Stick to a clear, narrow focus and purpose. #2= Work alongside other institutions for the good of the community without replicating the purposes of those other institutions. #3= Change with the rising generations. #4= Listen to voices of need around them. #5 = Fight against self-serving values, goals and activities.