The state has lost its position of centrality in contemporary political theory ideas of moral individualism and an emphasis on bargaining among conflicting interest have usurped ideas that embedded morality in institutions, such as the legal system and the corporation, as foundations for political identity. The authors propose a new theory of political behavior that re-invigorates the role of institutions — from laws and bureaucracy to rituals, symbols and ceremonies — as essential to understanding the modern political and economic systems that guide contemporary life.