IG Parser: A Software Package for the Encoding of Institutional Statements using the Institutional Grammar

This article provides an overview of IG Parser, a software that facilitates qualitative content analysis of formal (e.g., legal) rules or informal (e.g., socio-normative) norms, and strategies (such as conventions) -- referred to as \emph{institutions} -- that govern social systems and operate configurally to describe \emph{institutional systems}. To this end, the IG Parser employs a distinctive syntax that ensures rigorous encoding of natural language, while automating the transformation into various formats that support the downstream analysis using diverse analytical techniques. The conceptual core of the IG Parser is an associated syntax, IG Script, that operationalizes the conceptual foundations of the Institutional Grammar, and more specifically Institutional Grammar 2.0, an analytical paradigm for institutional analysis. This article presents the IG Parser, including its conceptual foundations, syntactic specification of IG Script, alongside architectural principles. This introduction is augmented with selective illustrative examples that highlight the use and benefit associated with the tool.