Polity

The term refers to the Polity structural, formal and institutional dimension of politics. The German names for this are state organization or institutional order of political systems. See also social order.

The term comes from the American Political Science, where the different aspects of policy linguistically reflected in the term Trias Polity Politics Policy. In contrast to procedural ( Politics ) and substantive (policy ) dimension, the formal dimension (eg legal texts, constitutional principles, institutions ) is called the unspecified in German with the diffuse word policy meaning space of the rules of social coexistence with Polity.

For several decades, political scientists mean by the term " institutions " far more than purely formal, legal institutions of the Constitution and the legislation ( see March / Olsen 1984, and North 1990). Political institutions also include unwritten rules of social interaction with a. Thus, the term " polity " takes on new nuances of interpretation: all normative, structural, and also " required " elements of policy are referred to it. Such institutions grow historically both intended and unintendiert. Their significance is that they channel the room for maneuver of political actors in the political process ( Politics ) or block. Thus, they are "relevant requirement " ( Schubert) for the design of policies (Policy ).