in party leadership, states do not cease to exist when their governments change or are not
recognized.
Institutional boundaries serve social order by determining whether and how
institutions “fit” into the “societies” of which they are part. In short, boundaries define
how settlements regulating conflicts and cooperation within an institution conform to
broader patterns of conflict and cooperation that define “societies.”
myriad institutions within social space. They place an institution and its rules in super-
ordinate, subordinate, and competitive relationships with other institutions and groups
and they transmit these relations to the level of individuals. In doing so, they establish
particular roles and rights both within institutions and societies and between them.
example, a basic institution of international society is diplomatic immunity, which
designates the person, property, residence and embassy of a foreign ambassador as falling
not within the jurisdiction of the host country, but rather the sending country. To belong
to international society, sovereigns must accept that within their territory there are
bounded areas and actors outside of their authority and control. The boundaries of this
institution are clearly specified, and are designed to preserve the overarching institution
16
Holsti (2004), p. 117.
17
March and Olsen distinguish between two different logics at work in much of international relations
theorizing, a logic of consequences and a logic of appropriateness. Most structuralists and pluralists and
rationalists adhere to the logic of consequences – that the ends produced explain the means pursued, or in
our case, the boundaries built. However, we argue that boundaries are defined not only according to the
consequences, but they also reflect and create logics of appropriateness. James G. March and Johan P.
Olsen, “The Institutional Dynamics of International Political Orders,” International Organization 52, no. 4
(1998).
18
March and Olsen (1998).
19
The institutions of diplomacy were spelled out in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which
entered into force in 1964, but which codified five centuries of practice. The International Court of Justice
ruled in 1980 that the Iranian government had violated not only a contract in the form of the Vienna
Convention, but also the broader obligations of a state in international society. See Ian Brownlie, Principles
7
Convention