ABSTRACT
I have mentioned that I draw on institutional theory to analyze the pattern of interactions in which various stakeholders act collectively as institutional entrepreneurs and shape nanotechnology institutional emergence. It is now time to define what I mean by nanotechnology institutional emergence. One first step is to define institutions. Drawing from the work of Meyer and Rowan (1977), DiMaggio and Powell (1983), Tolbert and Zucker (1983), and Greenwood et al. (2008) and integrating their definitions, I offer my own interpretation of the notion of institutions: Institutions are ensembles of structured conventional social practices that have acquired a taken-for-granted ontological status that allows them to set conditions on action. Two very important aspects of institutions are that they are “permanent” and “universally acknowledged” social structures.
