Institutionalism can refer to:
- New institutionalism: a social theory that focuses on developing a sociological view of institutions, the way they interact and the effects of institutions on society.
- Institutional economics Economic school that approaches economic issues from a macro sociological point of view. Main early figures in this movement were Thorstein Veblen and John Rogers Commons.
- New institutional economics: an economic school that analyzes social norms, organizational arrangements etc.
- Historical institutionalism: a social science method of inquiry that uses institutions as subject of study in order to find, measure and trace patterns and sequences of social, political, economic behavior and change across time and space.
- Institutionalism in political parties: an approach that sees political parties as having some capacities for adaptation, but also sees them as being "prisoners of their own history as an institution".
- Institutionalism in international relations: a group of differing theories on international relations, which have in common their focus on the social and organizational orders, mechanisms and structures of the international system.
