Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology, US Dept. of Commerce, 2016
The family unit is typically defined as “a relationship between two or more people who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.” Increasingly, the definition of family has broadened to include extended family members (e.g., grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins), or even long-time friends, friends of family, or other individuals who are not related by blood or marriage. The family and kinship institution facilitates learning about the world and the importance of love, care, and a sense of belonging. (See Section 10.4.1 of the Guide)
Economic institutions facilitate allocation of scarce resources across a society. Producers and suppliers combine factors of production (e.g., land, labor, capital) to create goods and services that meet the needs and desires of consumers. Availability of production factors, along with the demand of consumers, determines the final mix of goods and services produced, supplied, and consumed. (See Section 10.4.2 of the Guide.)
The government provides laws, regulations, and services to protect life and property, preserve peace and well-being, strengthen group identity and norms, and define social and economic goals for the future. Local governments, which are the focus of the Guide, are made up of general and specific purpose entities, and vary in terms of autonomy. Some communities have complete autonomy to adopt codes and develop statutes, while others are restricted by state regulations. General-purpose entities include county, municipal, and township governments. (See Section 10.4.3 of the Guide.)
Health care institutions are comprised of two levels or units. Public health focuses on health at the community level, whereas health care services typically treat individuals and families within a community. The public health system supplies many essential services, including: monitoring health status of a community, informing and educating individuals on health risks and protective behaviors, developing policies and plans to promote healthier communities, enforcing laws and regulations, fostering community partnerships, evaluating current health services, and conducting research. At the individual or family level, health care services promote, monitor, maintain, and restore health. Types of care delivered by health care providers within a community include preventative, primary, specialized, chronic or long-term, sub-acute, acute, rehabilitative, end-of-life, mental or behavioral health, and home health. (See Section 10.4.4 of the Guide.)
Education is the primary social institution dedicated to transferring knowledge, skills, and values from one individual or group to another. Formal education—in public, private, or home school settings—can begin in nursery school and continue through higher education in colleges and universities. Knowledge, skills, and values transfer in other ways within the education institution, including adult education (or continuing education), special education, and informal education. (See Section 10.4.5 of the Guide.)
Community Service Organizations (CSOs) are non-profit and non-governmental entities of varying sizes and missions that provide services to individuals around the U.S. These organizations tend to operate at a local level, often relying on volunteers to support minimal full-time staff. CSOs may assist individuals in meeting basic needs, such as shelter, food, and clothing, as well as providing emotional and mental health support. They may also enhance the overall quality of life in a community by engaging in work related to neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, food security, accessible transportation, senior citizens associations, community sustainability, humanitarian response, medical relief funds, after school programs, youth homes and centers, skill building and education, and civic engagement. (See Section 10.4.6 of the Guide.)
Religious and cultural organizations, as well as other groups that support various belief systems, are important to society. Generally, organizations in this type of institution foster a sense of solidarity and common purpose. They also facilitate social cohesion, emotional support, and social control, and serve as an instrument for socialization. (See Section 10.4.7 of the Guide.)
Media refers to the channels of communication, including newspaper, magazines, television, and internet reporting, that disseminate information to large markets (e.g., the entire population of a country) and smaller markets (e.g., a community or specific demographic within a larger population). (See Section 10.4.8 of the Guide.)
