Even into modern times, engaging with the state and politics has always meant searching for the best organizational forms for political and social coexistence. The normative recommendations derived from this engagement often relied on historical investigations. Time and again, efforts were made to draw guidance for the present from the experiences and normative ideals of the past. Even today, the Aristotelian question of good order arises, and the goal of politics should be to create just that. Institutions play a central role in this regard. As mediators and reflections of fundamental values of society, they also embody moral foundational decisions. Institutions can contribute to a good order of state and society primarily by establishing legitimacy and successfully addressing problems of collective coexistence, meaning with the consent and satisfaction of the largest possible number of people. However, the definition and understanding of the latter depend on the specific historical-political context. Therefore, institutions must be changed and adapted to new political, socio-economic, and ecological conditions. Institutional change is thus a process that lies at the core of the political. Through globalization, this ongoing structural change process has reached a new dimension, and a multitude of novel problems await their solutions. A fundamental prerequisite for this is new concepts and categories to adequately explain institutional changes.