Primary Institutions, Secondary Institutions, and Moral Obligation

Abstract

Institutions are foundational to the English School and to the very concept of international society, so it makes sense that scholars would pay attention to them. What’s curious, though, is how much ambiguity permeates the discussion of primary and secondary institutions within English School theorizing. There is a lack of agreement among authors about what constitutes a primary institution, and secondary institutions receive almost no attention because they are merely formal organizations with no independent power within international society. This chapter distinguishes between primary and secondary institutions, describes the emergence of moral obligation and responsibility as a primary institution, explains why secondary institutions are constitutive of international society, and makes the case for global health governance as a secondary institution.