Institutional Properties as a Neglected Unit of Analysis

Like any objects, institutions have certain properties that influence their performance, which, in turn, affects the behavior of individuals. Some properties of institutions are mentioned and analyzed in a large number of studies, both in economics and in other social sciences, but works specifically devoted to one or another group of properties are virtually absent. The objectives of the article are to develop and substantiate a typology of institutional properties, provide a brief overview of existing studies of certain properties, and identify current areas in which the study of institutional properties and their constituent elements has not yet been conducted or is at an early stage. For this purpose, the properties of institutions as subsystems of a more general system and the properties of elements of an institution as a relatively isolated system are distinguished, the properties (functions) inherent in any institution and those possessed only by certain types of institutions are discussed, and the properties of such elements of institutions as their addressees and guarantors, on the one hand, and the rules of behavior of addressees and guarantors, on the other hand, are discussed. The conclusions from the analysis completed the article.