How Institutions Evolve: Evolutionary Theory and Institutional Change

This article argues that questions of gradual institutional change can be understood as an evolutionary process that can be explained through the careful application of “generalized Darwinism.” We argue that humans' advanced cognitive capacities contribute to an evolutionary understanding of in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polity 2012-07, Vol.44 (3), p.314-339
Main Authors: Lewis, Orion A., Steinmo, Sven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Anthropology
Biological evolution
Cognition
Darwinism
Decision Making
Evolution
Evolutionary genetics
Evolutionary Theories
Genetic variation
Human genetics
Humans
Information storage
International Relations
Political economy
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Political Theory
Rational choice theory
Replication
Society
Studies
Theory
US Politics
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Summary:This article argues that questions of gradual institutional change can be understood as an evolutionary process that can be explained through the careful application of “generalized Darwinism.” We argue that humans' advanced cognitive capacities contribute to an evolutionary understanding of institutional change. In constantly generating new variation upon which mechanisms of selection and replication operate, cognition, cognitive schemas, and ideas become central for understanding the building of human institutions, as well as the scope and pace of their evolution. Evolutionary theories thus provide a broad theoretical framework that integrates the study of cognition, ideas, and decision-making with other literatures that focus on institutional change and human evolution.
ISSN:0032-3497
1744-1684
DOI:10.1057/pol.2012.10