Has Institutional Theory Lost its Way? From the Perspectives of Co-citation and Regression Analyses

Abstract

Institutional theory is an important mechanism to explain the phenomenon of institutional stability and transformation in the context of transitional periods and the COVID-19, as well as the practical problems in many social sciences. As an important theoretical perspective of management, economics, sociology, political science and other disciplines, although this theoretical paradigm has attracted extensive scholar attention, experienced an early initial and development period, and has now successfully been developed into a mature and legitimate mainstream management theory from the beginning of 21st century, it turns out that institutional theory seems to have lost its way. In order to address questions such as whether the institutional theory is