There is not one institutional approach to change

There is not one institutional approach, however. In the language of sociology some of them place more importance on productions relations and some on other institutional reforms. What is common to them all is that they set their agenda beyond the possibilities of moral action. For distinguishing it from the moral approach we may combine the materialistic and institutional approaches here. Different scholars accord importance to the following different factors in explaining social change and social progress, and, therefore, in theorizing about change.

• Technological factors – industrialization, energy consumption per capita, information technology, genetic engineering

• Economic factors – savings and investment, economic growth, per capita income, distribution of income, regional inequalities, urban-rural disparity.

• Political factors – nature of state, democracy, empowerment, participation, governance, civil society organizations.

• Cultural factors – values and norms, tradition and modernity, postmodernization.

• Demographic factors – fertility, mortality, migration, social mobility and marriage.

• Other factors – environment and climate, religious purity or reforms, transparency.