Category of Norm: Comparative Analyses of Formal Legal and Institutional Conceptions

Abstract

The study considered one of the central categories of institutional theory — category of norms. The problem of defining this category is relevant to other social sciences. It is obvious that researchers borrow the definition of a norm from legal disciplines. However, formal legal approach has a number of notional and logical contradictions that leads to an ideologem. In the article a norm is considered in a more structural way within a framework of meanings and values that are more typical characteristics for the institutional theory. The category of norms is closely connected with such categories as authority, state and others. When applying only formal legal approach there is a high risk of substitution when instead of the state as a form of authority emerges another form of authority, which is still called a ‘state’. Moreover, special emphasis is placed on politics but not on law. Institutional approach demonstrates quite different perspective as axiological foundations are essential in the structure of a functional institution. These two conceptions are compared in the article.