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This paper discusses the intrinsic and instrumental value of governance and social norms to the well being of New Zealanders. The interaction between informal social norms and formal institutions is also discussed. An attempt is made to identify the channels and precise mechanisms through which governance and social norms respectively may impact on well-being. Empirical evidence on these effects is cited, and the relevance of the evidence to New Zealand is assessed. A range of suggestions is then presented for strengthening the governance of public institutions in New Zealand, focusing on improvements to transparency, accountability and integrity within existing constitutional arrangements. Finally, some tentative remarks are made on the potential role of government in influencing the evolution of social norms, and managing tensions between conflicting norms in New Zealand.

"Employing three methods of assessing meaning, this book demonstrates that the thousands of human identities in English coalesce into groups that are recognizable as role sets in the contemporary social institutions of economy, kinship, religion, polity, law, education, medicine, sport, and arts. After establishing a theoretical and a methodological framework for his empirical work, David Heise presents the results obtained when meanings are assessed via dictionary definitions, collocates, and word associations. A close comparison of the results reveals that similar outcomes are obtained through each of these three different approaches of defining meaning. The final chapter summarizes the study, considers the benefits and limitations of studying society via language, and applies the results to describing how individuals operate social institutions via their daily social interactions. Aspects of this book will be of interest to social psychologists, sociologists, and linguists."--Publisher description

AbstractOrthodox economic theorising on ancient societies emphasises the absence of market institutions, in contrast to advanced contemporary economies. However, this may downplay the influence of non-economic interests in the generation of wealth. Consequently, this paper examines an ancient civilisation identified as economically successful namely, the Mauryan Empire (322 to 85 BCE) centred on the Indo-Gangetic plains. Drawing on translations of books collectively known as the Arthasastra (lit. the science of wealth) as well as contemporaneous Greek and Roman texts, this paper examines the role of institutions in generating wealth within societal norms of income distribution and the preservation of social order. Given the importance of trade to this society, comparisons are made with medieval European institutions in terms of market coordination and the maintenance of generalised trust in trading markets. As a consequence, the role of institutions in addressing social and economic uncertainty affecting an ancient society is highlighted.

Intro -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1 Language and Social Institutions -- Abstract -- Defining "Social Institution" -- Plan of the Report -- References -- Chapter 2 Analyzing Meanings of Identities -- Abstract -- Oxford Dictionary -- Collocates -- Word Associations -- References -- Chapter 3 Dictionary Meanings of Identities -- Abstract -- Economy -- Employees (PC23) -- Workers (PC 25) -- Organization Members (PC3) -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Family -- Family Relations (PC9) -- Partners (PC27) -- Children (PC2) -- Sexual Identities (PC12) -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Religion -- Religious Ideologues (PC6) -- Christians (PC13) -- Ceremonialists (PC26) -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Polity -- Public Officials (PC16) -- Political Ideologues (PC17) -- Agents (PC7) -- Martial Roles (PC1) -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Law -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Education -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Medicine -- Comparison with Provisional Study -- Sports -- Sports (PC8) -- Players (PC5) -- Arts -- Performing Arts (PC18) -- Females -- Women (PC4) -- Girls (PC19) -- Race -- Other Components -- PC10 -- PC11 -- PC15 -- PC22 -- Science -- References -- Chapter 4 Contextual Meanings of Identities -- Abstract -- Economy -- Commerce (PC11) -- Labor (PC6) -- Family -- Family (PC5) -- Caregiving (PC26) -- Religion -- Polity -- Party Politics (PC9) -- Government (PC13) -- Martial Roles (PC7) -- Law -- Education -- Education (PC1) -- Scholar (PC10) -- Medicine -- Sport -- Team Sports (PC6) -- Athletics (PC24) -- Arts -- Entertainment (PC17) -- Movies (PC28) -- Travel -- Quirks -- Animals (PC25) -- Food (PC14) -- Artifacts -- (PC20) -- (PC2) -- (PC3) -- (PC4) -- (PC8) -- (PC15) -- (PC16) -- (PC21) -- (PC22) -- Science -- References -- Chapter 5 Associative Meanings of Identities -- Abstract -- Economy.