The agenda of economic reforms presented by J. S. Mill is analyzed from the viewpoint of his theory of social institutions. It is argued that his concerns with the role of institutions on the maintenance of social cohesion made gradualism a mark of his social thought. It is also argued that despite the focused and localized character of the reforms defended, Mill aimed at promoting social progress and at modifying significantly his society. The reforms should pave the road to a superior social arrangement, very different in nature from that prevailing in his society.
J. S. Mill; social institutions; social reform; social progress