Abstract
The concluding chapter, based on evaluation of the chapters in the volume, outlines the prospects for future research by using institutions as analytical windows into social change in general. Discussing the possible “next steps” and urging that scholars avoid putting various forms of complexity into habitual categorical types, the author particularly raises the question of useful units of analysis, or, in other words, of units of what scale would be more legitimate to consider and analyze as institutions—for example, to analyze ancient Greek temples as an institution or subdivide temples in a variety of institutions (public celebration around a temple, elite celebration in the porch of the temple, which was connected to the imperial cult, etc.).
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Small, D.B. (2020). In Conclusion: Two Thoughts. In: Bondarenko, D.M., Kowalewski, S.A., Small, D.B. (eds) The Evolution of Social Institutions. World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51437-2_28
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