Definition:
Institutional neglect is the failure of organisations, systems, or authorities to provide adequate care, protection, or support, resulting from inaction, under-resourcing, or structural indifference rather than explicit intent.
Usage Context:
Seen in public services, healthcare, welfare systems, housing provision, education, and regulatory oversight.
Critical Note:
Institutional neglect is often framed as unfortunate oversight or capacity limitation. This framing obscures the fact that neglect is frequently predictable, patterned, and produced by policy choices that deprioritise certain lives or needs.
Related Terms:
Administrative Abandonment, Administrative Violence, Austerity, Accountability Deficit, Normalisation of Decline