Institutions, roles, and agency

Abstract

This thesis provides an analysis of institutional group agency, i.e. the capacity of institutional groups to perform actions. I explore different accounts of institutional group agency and consequently argue that it is best explained by so called role-based accounts. According to such role-based accounts of institutional agency, the actions of institutional groups consist of the contributory actions of the groups’ members, who act according to the tasks and functions of their institutional roles. I will, however, argue that such role-based theories of institutional action face certain problems. Most importantly, they under-theorize the relation between institutional roles and the individuals who occupy them. In order to illuminate this relation, I develop my own, novel account of Role Agency. Role Agency describes a form of agency that individuals engage in when they act within their institutional roles. It is best thought of as a form of perspective taking, which includes both the internalization and idealization of institutional roles.