Informal Institutions

(noun)

They are those that are not designed to regulate conduct, but often end up doing so as members seek to conform to communal standards.

Related Terms

Examples of Informal Institutions in the following topics:

  • Social Institutions

    • Institutions can be either formal or informal.
    • Informal institutions are those that are not designed to regulate conduct, but often end up doing so as members seek to conform to communal standards.
    • Institutions can also be abstract, such as the institution of marriage.
    • While institutions tend to appear to people in society as part of the natural, unchanging landscape of their lives, sociological studies of institutions reveal institutions a social constructs, meaning that they are created by individuals and particular historical and cultural moment.
    • The social function of the institution is the fulfillment of the assigned roles.

  • Informal Means of Control

    • Informal controls are varied and differ from individual to individual, group to group, and society to society.
    • For example, at a women's institute meeting, a disapproving look might convey that it is inappropriate to flirt with the minister.
    • Informal sanctions may include shame, ridicule, sarcasm, criticism, and disapproval.
    • Informal controls differ from individual to individual, group to group, and society to society.
    • For example, at a women's institute meeting, a disapproving look might convey that it is inappropriate to flirt with the minister.

  • Homophobia

    • Institutional discrimination involves the state apparatus.
    • If homophobic discrimination is institutional, it means either that non-heterosexual sex acts are criminalized or that LGBTQ individuals are denied the same legal rights as heterosexuals.
    • Informal discrimination is not necessarily sanctioned by the state, but involves social pressures against LGBTQ individuals, behaviors, and identities.
    • Although non-heterosexual sex acts are legal in the United States, LGTBQ people still face institutional discrimination because they are not afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples.
    • Describe the phenomenon of homophobia (both institutional and informal) and the implications it has for LGBTQ individuals in modern-day America

  • Diplomacy

    • Currently, the United States maintains informal relations through de facto embassies, with names such as the American Institute in Taiwan.
    • Informal diplomacy is also a key component of diplomacy.

  • Informal Communication

    • Informal communication occurs outside an organization's established channels for conveying messages and transmitting information.
    • Informal communication frequently crosses boundaries within an organization and is commonly separate from work flows.
    • Informal communication, on the other hand, can occur in any direction and take place between individuals of different status and roles.

  • Informal Social Control

    • Informal control typically involves an individual internalizing certain norms and values.
    • Informal sanctions may include shame, ridicule, sarcasm, criticism, and disapproval, which can cause an individual to conform to the social norms of the society.
    • Informal social control has the potential to have a greater impact on an individual than formal control.
    • Informal sanctions check 'deviant' behavior.

  • Informal economy

    • Informal economic activity is a dynamic process which includes many aspects of economic and social theory including exchange, regulation, and enforcement.

  • Informal Communications

    • Informal communication is established around the societal affiliation of members of an organization and is spread through the 'grapevine'.
    • Informal communication contains facts, deceptions, rumors, and unclear data.
    • Informal communication is implicit, spontaneous, multidimensional, and diverse.
    • Informal communication does not follow authority lines as in the case of formal communication.
    • Informal communication can take place in a variety of settings, but around the water cooler is one of the most popular.

  • Informal Economy

    • Informal economies are frequently less institutionalized and include all economic practices that are not included in the calculation of GNP.
    • Informal economies therefore include such disparate practices as the drug trade and babysitting—anything that isn't reported to the government or factored into the nation's GNP .

  • State and Local Party Organization

    • Informal groups would be groups like interest groups or the National Federation of Democratic Women.
    • Linkage institutions provide a way for people to get involved in government and the political process.
    • They are not the only linkage institutions; others include blogs, non-partisan local governments, and school boards.