How Institutions Work: Experimental Research into Effects of Institutions on Group Decision-making

As social beings, human beings are integrated into groups or organizations through rules or institutions. Therefore, how “institutions” work on groups is one of the core questions worth discussing in understanding human... [ view full abstract ]

As social beings, human beings are integrated into groups or organizations through rules or institutions. Therefore, how “institutions” work on groups is one of the core questions worth discussing in understanding human group behaviors. To investigate “net effects” of institutions in nature, our research created “ideal states” of institutions’ working, used non-given institution group as control group and adopted laboratory observations to examine group-decision behaviors and psychologies under democratic centralism, electoral institution and deliberative institution. We found that compared with the no-given institution group, experimental groups displayed that the three formal institutions had both similarities and differences in their working mechanisms in group decision-making. Evaluation of merits and drawbacks of the three institutions could be done based on their legality, effectiveness and richness of value system in group decision-making. This pointed to a new path for empirical exploration and research into structural features and mechanisms of institutions.

Key words: Democratic Centralism; Electoral Institution; Deliberative Institution; Formal Institutions; Group Decision-making