Linkage institution

A linkage institution is a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. Popular examples of linkage institutions include the NRA, AARP, NAACP, and BBC.^{[citation needed]}

Development

Government is established as a legitimate alternative to violence. These governments create policymaking institutions to develop rules by which conflicts within society are to be resolved. Democratic governments often elect a legislative body, monarchies rely on a single arbitrator, and aristocracies establish a privileged body of individuals. All of these centralize authority, develop an institutionalized structure, and provide a means for creating policy. Dynamic social changes occasionally require rules within a society to adapt. Linkage institutions serve to connect individuals within a society to the centralized authority..^[1]

Political exclusions and oligarchical tendencies within societies may result in "linkage failures." These failures create tensions within society and act as catalysts for social protests and rebellion.^[2]

See also

• Institution