Can Regulation Theory Inform Institutional Analyses of Contemporary Social Provisioning?

摘要

A focus on institutions is shared by Regulation Theory and Institutional Economics although each holds a different view of the organization of the capitalist economy. It is argued that, despite the lack of definitional clarity of the term "institution," Regulation Theory provides "institutional insights" which could be usefully deployed by Institutional Economics. It is also posited that both heterodox traditions should more explicitly conceive of institutions to account for phenomena that transcend national borders, and to render explicit the social ontology underpinning an institution's conceptualization, otherwise the methodological usefulness of this analytical construct to elucidate social reality is reduced.