Renewed attention to institutions in political science over the past ten to fifteen years is a trend that has been widely recognized, discussed, and debated. This effort to emphasize the theoretical importance of institutions, succinctly expressed by slogans such as 'bringing the state back in' and 'structuring politics' typically is associated with a school that has come to be known as new institutionalism. New institutionalists have made the case for giving institutions analytical primacy, but substantial disagreements remain over how institutional analysis should be carried out.

André Lecours (2005), New Institutionalism: Theory and Analysis, p. 3