Another book that covers the topic - Quigley's the Evolution of Civilizations. Taken from a summary: "Quigley defines a civilization as “a producing society wi

Another book that covers the topic - Quigley's the Evolution of Civilizations. Taken from a summary: "Quigley defines a civilization as “a producing society with an instrument of expansion.” A civilization’s decline is not inevitable but occurs when its instrument of expansion is transformed into an institution—that is, when social arrangements that meet real social needs are transformed into social institutions serving their own purposes regardless of real social needs." He spends some time defining institutionalization, when groups transition from being a group that was formed to accomplish a goal, to being a group whos goal becomes to preserve the group, the various stages involved, and the points where there's opportunities to rectify the situation via reform.