THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Human life is structured by institutions that create patterns of incentives and expectations which condition how we behave and coordinate with others.
Social and political institutions can foster the conditions for prosperity and human flourishing, providing individual freedoms, economic opportunity and the capacity for innovation. But they are not guaranteed to do so, in part because even well-designed institutions change, often radically, over time.
In our current moment, global events are challenging established ideas and conventions.
Arguably, the world is on the precipice of a new age. Scholars, citizens and policy makers have a shared need for deeper understanding of the factors driving this change and the choices and possibilities this creates.
This interdisciplinary initiative forges a deeper understanding of institutions.
Faculty, students, policymakers, and members of civil society, approach these complex and urgent questions through the lens of history, economics, political science, and other social science fields, together creating a shared framework to discuss these critical structures and offer crucial insights on what may lie ahead.
“I was interested in political science, but then political science seemed to be all about economics. So I started studying economics, but then economics seemed to be all about politics. So I went back to studying politics, but then when I tried to understand politics, that seemed to be all about society. So then I had to start studying society, and I had to start studying anthropology. And then everything seemed to be historically grounded, so I had to start studying history. Academia isn’t organized for that kind of research. Typically everybody’s in their silo, and nobody wants to talk to anybody else. But the University of Chicago actually is organized like that. It’s about the meeting of all those different minds and all those different disciplines in one place. It doesn’t happen in academia. It does happen here.”
“Institutions everywhere are in flux. The taken-for-grated guideposts that shaped everyday life no longer appear solid. International alliances that appeared enduring are being tested. Global friendships are being called into question. In the realm of politics new political coalitions are emerging and old ones no longer seem as relevant or as permanent. The institutions that govern elections are being reshaped in countries across the globe, from Mexico to Hungary and beyond. Rules for interstate and domestic trade are changing rapidly. And the rules governing the movement of people are mutating in country after country. Why is this happening now? Why do some institutions adapt while others collapse wither away? No single discipline has answers for these questions. That is why the Institutions Initiative brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines to discuss these issues and many more.”