Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 48 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro abr./jun. 2005
Abstract
The current article analyzes the theoretical implications of the New Institutionalism, especially in public policy-making, adopting Jürgen Habermas theories of action and democracy as the critical reference. Based on an analysis of texts by two leading institutionalists - Ellen Immergut and Elinor Ostrom -, the article argues that the New Institutionalism, especially the approach that adopts the premises of rational choice, meets its limits in a concept of action limited to strategic action and negligence vis-à-vis processes of institutional legitimization. It is suggested that the institutionalist approach can overcome its dilemmas by adopting a Habermasian perspective, since the latter integrates the concepts of strategic action and communicative action in the same theoretical argument and presents legitimacy as the central aspect in the concept of justice.
Keywords: New Institutionalism, rational choice, collective action, public policies, legitimacy, critical theory
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582005000200002
Theoretical implications of the new institutionalism: a Habermasian approach
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