The term “social technology” is a “know-how” knowledge concept: How rule-makers arrange institutions to create new social mechanisms or social systems. In a world of scarce resources and incomplete knowledge the capacity to create new social arrangements draws both on a knowledge base and a power base.  Institutional change typically involves several categories of actors, who represent the supply and demand side with varying knowledge and power resources, and interests. Moreover, social technologies and physical technologies interact to create social environments supportive of new technologies. We use three cases to explore these issues: 1) the origins of property rights in US airport slots; 2) the origins of property rights in individual transferable fishing quotas in the Iceland fisheries; and 3) adjustments in property rights and social mechanisms in response to the biotechnology revolution.