The DOI matches its Crossref record; 97 of the 97 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 6 of the 43 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics
Open accessAbstract
It is increasingly common for social scientists to describe political processes as path dependent. The article conceptualizes path dependence as a social process grounded in increasing returns.
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Claims the paper makes
6 of 43 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Increasing returns arguments help explain the prevalence of pockets of specialized economic activity, from Sili con Valley to the high-end textile manufacturers of Northern Italy.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Krugman 1991
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Partly supportedcites Arthur 1994 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Description (indexed under “8. Path Dependence, Self-Reinforcement, and Human Learning”; no page given) says the book applies increasing-returns ideas to the development of industrial clusters such as Silicon Valley. The passages found do not mention Northern Italy or its high-end textile manufacturers, so that example is not supported by our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- Not matched
The cited sources that could be checked couldn’t confirm or dispute this claim.
In the paper
“4. Potential Path-Inefficiency. The outcome that becomes locked-in may not in fact generate higher pay-offs than a foregone alternative over the long run.In this case, the process may be called path-inefficient.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > 4. Potential Path-Inefficiency.
What the sources say
- Could not verifycites Arthur (1994) sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The available copy shows a table-of-contents entry for “Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock-In by Historical Small Events” (no page given), but not the chapter’s argument. Searches for path-inefficiency and for locked-in outcomes versus foregone alternatives returned no passage addressing their long-run pay-offs. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Could not verify
The cited sources that could be checked couldn’t confirm or dispute this claim.
In the paper
“1. Unpredictability.Because early events have a big impact and are partly random, many outcomes may be possible.We cannot predict ahead of time which of many possible end-states will be reached.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > I. The Distinctiveness of Increasing Returns Processes
What the sources say
- Could not verifycites Arthur (1994) sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The indexed passages headed “Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock-In by Historical Small Events” and “Path Dependence, Self-Reinforcement, and Human Learning” contain chapter titles, not the chapters’ arguments. Searches for unpredictable end-states and the effect of partly random early events found no passage in our copy that addresses the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This essay argues that they are.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > Introduction1
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclearThe paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Polya urn processes exhibit increasing returns or positive feedback.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > I. The Distinctiveness of Increasing Returns Processes
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIn the paper
“In contexts of complex social interdependence, new institutions will often entail high fixed or start-up costs, and involve con siderable learning effects, coordination effects, and adaptive expectations.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North 1990a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Each step along a particular path produces consequences which make that path more attractive for the next round.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > I. The Distinctiveness of Increasing Returns Processes
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesThe paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Economic growth generates the kind of positive feedback that distinguishes increasing returns or path dependent processes.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesThe paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“-on any individual trial, the ratio will eventually reach an equilibrium.Since later draws in a particular series contribute only minutely to the distri bution of balls in the urn, the distribution settles down onto a stable path.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > I. The Distinctiveness of Increasing Returns Processes
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Comparative advantage is not simply given, it is often created by a sequence of events over time.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Probably not a substantial claim. 55
- It may state two separate claims as one. 42
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Romer and others argued that increasing returns associated with economic applications of knowledge could help account for the anomaly.Unlike capital and labor, many aspects of knowledge are non-rivaltheir use in one firm does not prevent their use in another.Thus, a single gain in knowledge can be applied in many settings, and can lead to dramatic improvements in productivity.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Romer 1986 source
The Introduction says that increasing returns associated with knowledge are capable of explaining historical growth. Section III, “Motivation and Evidence,” reports output growth exceeding measured input growth and says the evidence does not rule out increasing returns as an explanation. The claim’s tentative wording reflects the paper’s caution; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.92)
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Romer 1990 source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“As Brian Arthur and Paul David have argued, under certain conditions a single technology may achieve a decisive advantage over competitors, even though it is not necessarily the most efficient one in the long-run (Arthur 1994;David 1985).Once the initial advantage is gained, however, feedback effects may lock in this technology, excluding other alter natives.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites Arthur 1994 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
- Not matchedcites David 1985
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Partly supported
The cited sources that could be checked couldn’t confirm or dispute this claim.
In the paper
“Arthur (1994) has shown that many of the features of this case have a greater range of application, but not all of them.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Could not verifycites Arthur 1994 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The available copy contains a description and table of contents, including chapters on path dependence, but no passage stating which features apply more broadly or which do not. Searches for the sentence and a paraphrase found no discussion that settles the claim. (LLM, conf=0.74)
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Could not verify
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“that there has been an explosion of interest in path dependence among economists”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
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In the paper
“Despite high initial aspirations, the administration eventually suffered a crushing defeat.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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In the paper
“Following their historic victory, Congressional Republicans launched a sweeping proposal to cut and reform Medicare and Medicaid as part of their push to balance the budget and finance an extensive array of tax cuts.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Health care was on the verge of becoming a trillion dollar industry, and those who benefited from these arrangements devoted enormous resources to preserving the status quo.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“In this context, it is worth noting that Arthur's arguments about technology are not really about the technology itself but about the characteristics of a technology in interaction with certain quali ties of related social interactions.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
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- Not matched
In the paper
“Arthur argues that four features of a technology and its social context gen erate increasing returns:”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
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- Not matched
In the paper
“Once in place institutions are hard to change, and they have a tremendous impact on the possibilities for generating sustained economic growth.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North 1990a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Most important, they suggest the need to think of social processes, including political ones, as fun damentally historical in nature.Politics occurs in time, and political outcomes are the result of temporal processes.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > 4. Potential Path-Inefficiency.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes? Checkable: unclear✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“(1) Large set-up or fixed costs.These create a high pay-off for further investments in a given technology.By moving to larger production runs, fixed costs can be spread over more output, leading to lower unit costs.When set-up or fixed costs are high, individuals and organizations have a strong incentive to identify and stick with a single option.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“-for each individual trial we have no idea what the eventual ratio of red to black balls will be; it could be 99.9% red, or 0.01% red, or anything in between.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > I. The Distinctiveness of Increasing Returns Processes
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A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Finally, they can help orient political scientists to a realisticwhich is to say modest -set of aspirations regarding the possibilities for achieving parsimony and predictability in the study of politics.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > Introduction1
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Whatever the appropriate policy implications of path dependence in comparative advantage may be, however, its existence is now widely recognized in mainstream economics10.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“(2) Learning effects.Knowledge gained in the operation of complex systems also lead to higher returns from continuing use.With repetition, individuals learn how to use products more effectively, and their experiences are likely to spur further innovations in the product or in related activities.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“North argues that all the features identified in investigations of increasing returns in technology can be applied to institutions as well.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North 1990a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“by stretching the temporal horizons of political analysts, they can reorient both the answers given and the questions asked in ways that contribute to a richer appreciation of the sources of variation in political life.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > Introduction1
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Many social interactions have precisely these features.New social initiativessuch as the creation of organizations or institutions -usually entail consider able start-up costs; individuals, and organizations, learn by doing; we often have powerful incentives to coordinate our activities with those of other social actors; it is frequently important to bet on the right horse, and therefore we adapt”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“First, he highlights the parallels between characteristics of technology and certain char acteristics of social interactions.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North 1990a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
In the paper
“(3) Coordination effects.These occur when the individual receives increased benefits from a particular activity if others also adopt the same option.If technologies embody positive network externalities, a technology will become more attractive as more people use it.This enhanced appeal attracts more users, reinforcing the existing advantage.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Most international trade, however, is North-North. Developed economies trade primarily with other developed countries, includ ing extensive exchanges within particular industries.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclearIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“If the insti tutional matrix creates incentives for piracy, North observes, people will invest in becoming good pirates.Thus, where institutions fail to provide incentives to be economically productive, there is unlikely to be much eco nomic growth.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North 1990a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Increasing returns provided an answer to this puzzle.Knowledge-intensive sectors will be prone to positive feedback.Countries which gain a lead in a particular field, for whatever reason, are likely to consolidate that lead over time.The result is a high degree of specialization.Even countries with quite similar initial endowments develop quite divergent areas of economic strength.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“They can direct attention toward particular variables, and generate promising hypotheses about the sources of particular political phe nomena.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > Introduction1
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“If a new technology is subject to increasing returns, being the fastest out of the gate (if only for reasons of historical accident) becomes key.With increasing returns, there are strong incentives for actors to focus on a single alternative, and to continue moving down a specific path once initial steps are taken in that direction.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“My view is that North has focused on only some of the appropriate parallels.There are other important ones.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Instead, what I would point out is that this effort to refute path dependence arguments in economics has very limited relevance for political scientists.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Like institutional development, the dynamics of collective action are highly path dependent, since they involve many of the qualities conducive to increasing returns: high set-up or fixed costs, coordina tion effects, and a prominent role for adaptive expectations19.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
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In the paper
“Legally binding rules are not just a foundation for political activity (like property rights in the economy).They are instead the very essence of politics (Lindblom 1977;Moe 1990).”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Lindblom 1977
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Moe 1990
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Increasing Returns in fact characterize three of the most prominent features of political environments: processes of institutional development, pro cesses of collective action, and processes of social interpretation.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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In the paper
“Thus having shown in Part II that increasing returns processes are now seen as central to economics, I wish to argue here that these dynamics will be both more prevalent and more intense in politics.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > m . Moving From Economics to Politics: The Applicability of Path Dependence Arguments The application of economic methods to the study of politics has been unquestionably fruitful.In areas such as the study of party competition (Downs), the formation of interest groups and social movements (Olson) and voting and legislative behavior (Arrow), imports from economics have illumi nated important features of the political landscape.The value of economists' academic exports is greatly enhanced, however, if the political science importers take careful account of the distinctive features of the "local" envi ronment (Moe 1990).Arguments drawn from economics must be sensitive to the quite different nature of the political world16.This is as true for arguments about path dependence and increasing returns as it has proven to be for other kinds of analysis.Politics differs from eco nomics in many ways.The key is to identify those aspects of the political envi ronment which are most relevant to an investigation of the sources and conse quences of path dependence.I divide this discussion into two parts.First, I consider three prominent aspects of politics which are conducive to increasing returns processes: (1) the extremely high density of institutions; (2) the central role of collective action; and (3) the intrinsic complexity and opacity of poli tics.After briefly explicating each of these characteristics, I discuss their rele vance to the current discussion.All of these features make increasing returns processes more prevalent in politics.They increase the likelihood that multiple paths will be potentially viable. In the second part of this discussion, I complement these claims by explain ing why the ameliorative mechanisms which Williamson and Margolis and Leibowitz identify in economic systems are less effective in correcting path dependence in politics.In particular, I emphasize three characteristics of poli tics; the weakness or absence of efficiency-enhancing mechanisms of competi tion and learning; the shorter time horizons of political actors, and the greater "stickiness" of political institutions.All of these features make increasing returns processes in politics more intense.They increase the difficulty of moving off a path once actors have started down it.
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In the paper
“Politics is a far, far murkier environment.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Both formal institutions (such as constitutional arrangements) and public policies place extensive, legally-bind ing constraints on behavior.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
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In the paper
“In my view, Margolis and Liebowitz are more than a little complacent about the capacity of such mechanisms to fully internalize the considerable externalities that are central to increasing returns arguments.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > II. Path Dependence Arguments in Economics7
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In the paper
“Yet political actors, especially politicians, are often most interested in the short-term consequences of their actions; long-term effects are often heavily discounted.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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In the paper
“Most participants in politics (voters, members of interest group) engage in activities only sporadically.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“North's analysis, outlined in Part II, noted that institutions induce increasing returns processes that make reversals of course increasingly unattractive over time.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
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In the paper
“In short, problems of collective action abound in politics.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It is even harder to actually identify observable aspects of political perfor mance, or, if we believe that a system is not performing well, to determine which elements in these highly complex systems are responsible and what adjustment would lead to better results.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes? Checkable: unclear✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In contexts of complex social interdependence, new institutions and policies will often generate high fixed costs, learning effects, coordination effects, and adaptive expectations.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The development of basic social understandings involve high start-up costs and learning effects; they are fre quently shared with other social actors in ways which create network effects and adaptive expectations.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, in politics the pursuit of such change faces two additional obstacles: the short time-horizons of political actors and the strong status quo bias (i.e., stickiness) associated with the decision rules governing most political institutions.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclearIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Political actors often pursue a range of goals.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Their tools of action are often crude, such as the blunt instrument of the vote, and their actions have consequences only when aggregated.There are often long lags and complex causal chains connecting these political actions to political out comes.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Institutions and policies may encourage individuals and organizations to develop specialized skills, make certain investments, purchase particular goods, or devote time and money to certain organizations.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Institutional Density of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Rather, politics gets stuck with the more difficult problems.Where transaction costs are low, market mechanisms are likely to be effective, but they tend to break down when trans action costs are very high.Thus, it is complex and ambiguous issues and problems that gravitate toward the public sphere.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Where transaction costs are low, market mechanisms are likely to be effective, but they tend to break down when transaction costs are very high.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Confirm ing information tends to be incorporated, while disconfirming information is filtered out.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus having shown in Part II that increasing returns processes are now seen as central to economics, I wish to argue here that these dynamics will be both more prevalent and more intense in politics.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > m . Moving From Economics to Politics: The Applicability of Path Dependence Arguments The application of economic methods to the study of politics has been unquestionably fruitful.In areas such as the study of party competition (Downs), the formation of interest groups and social movements (Olson) and voting and legislative behavior (Arrow), imports from economics have illumi nated important features of the political landscape.The value of economists' academic exports is greatly enhanced, however, if the political science importers take careful account of the distinctive features of the "local" envi ronment (Moe 1990).Arguments drawn from economics must be sensitive to the quite different nature of the political world16.This is as true for arguments about path dependence and increasing returns as it has proven to be for other kinds of analysis.Politics differs from eco nomics in many ways.The key is to identify those aspects of the political envi ronment which are most relevant to an investigation of the sources and conse quences of path dependence.I divide this discussion into two parts.First, I consider three prominent aspects of politics which are conducive to increasing returns processes: (1) the extremely high density of institutions; (2) the central role of collective action; and (3) the intrinsic complexity and opacity of poli tics.After briefly explicating each of these characteristics, I discuss their rele vance to the current discussion.All of these features make increasing returns processes more prevalent in politics.They increase the likelihood that multiple paths will be potentially viable. In the second part of this discussion, I complement these claims by explain ing why the ameliorative mechanisms which Williamson and Margolis and Leibowitz identify in economic systems are less effective in correcting path dependence in politics.In particular, I emphasize three characteristics of poli tics; the weakness or absence of efficiency-enhancing mechanisms of competi tion and learning; the shorter time horizons of political actors, and the greater "stickiness" of political institutions.All of these features make increasing returns processes in politics more intense.They increase the difficulty of moving off a path once actors have started down it.
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Discontent with the inefficiencies of the American health care system increased signifi cantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Many alternatives might have been possible, and a dynamic of increasing returns may have locked in a particular option even though it originated by accident, or the factors that gave it an original advantage have long since passed away.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Yet the Republican proposals ran into the same two problems that had hindered the Clinton administration's effort to move health care policy onto a different path.Political interests which had grown up around the status quo (this time, those who benefited from Medicare and Medicaid) rallied in support, and sticky institutions (in this case, the Presi dential veto) blocked the momentum of reform”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Mobilization of potential supporters was therefore difficult.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The number of Americans without insurance -a phenomenon essentially unknown in other developed economies -was also high and growing rapidly.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The crucial object of study, the critical juncture, lies in a preceding set of events which set development along a”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Not only is monitoring often exceptionally difficult in politics, but it is also hard to hold actors accountable, because of the relatively rapid turnover of key positions (see below).”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclearIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“In a masterful analysis, Ruth Collier and David Collier (1991) have shown how the timing of exogenous shocks in relation to domestic sequences of political events was crucial in determining divergent patterns of labor incorporation across Latin America.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Collier and Collier 1991
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“More broadly, path dependence arguments can help political scientists to think more clearly and explicitly about the role of time, and history, in social analysis.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“(3) Timing and sequencing become crucial.In path dependent processes, when an event occurs may be just as important as what occurs.Because early parts of a sequence matter much more than later parts, an event that happens”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In response to these challenges, the Clinton administration expended a great deal of political capital during its first two years on efforts to move towards national health insurance.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“First, understanding the dynamics of increasing returns processes can greatly sharpen our understanding of why particular junctures (and which aspects of those”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Steven Skowronek (1993) has persuasively argued that we cannot understand the opportunities, constraints and demands that a presi dent faces without placing him within a sequence of presidencies that support or oppose the governing coalition of a particular period.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Skowronek 1993
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Second, an investigation of the sources of increasing returns processes pro vides a basis for developing important hypotheses about political stability and change.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“While these issues are clearly important, it must be stressed that for reasons already noted they are fundamentally atypical of the kinds of matters dealt with in politics.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“attention to the character of increasing returns can help provide the micro-foundations which lay bare how the actions of individuals aggregate to produce fundamental, macro-level outcomes.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Costs were extremely high by international standards and were rising quickly.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Not all aspects of political life are subject to increasing returns.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and that there are good reasons to think that path dependent processes are far more prevalent in politics”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Arthur's work on increasing returns is ground-breaking not simply because he described the characteristics of these processes, but because he has begun to identify the conditions which are conducive to path dependence.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Arthur
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The costs of doing so are borne in the short-run, while the benefits will generally only accrue in the long run -hat is, to someone else.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The specific characteristics of positive feedback provide the key to making sense of the complex mix of stability and bursts of rapid change which characterize so many political processes.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“First, the task of convinc ing voters to reorient their thinking to support a major expansion of govern ment's role in the health care sector was a very difficult one.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“They have a strong incentive to pay attention to long-term consequences only if these become politically salient, or when they have little reason to fear short-term electoral retribution.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A second factor was the massive array of interest groups which had grad ually grown up around the existing public-private mix of health care provision -a classic illustration of the increasing returns effects associated with pre existing public policies and the patterns of collective action they help to induce.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“By a number of basic criteria, the American health care system possessed clear shortcomings (White 1995).”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites White 1995
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Yet the inability of political scientists to generate powerful generalizations that facili tate prediction remains a puzzle.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Stickiness is built into the design of political institutions to reduce uncertainty and enhance stability, facilitating forms of cooperation and exchange which would other wise be impossible.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Doing so has required careful attention to the distinctive features of the politi cal world -its intrinsic ambiguity, the prevalence of highly sticky institutions, the prominence of collective action”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Given the complexity of health care and deep political cleavages over the role of government in the United States, there was tremendous dis agreement about the appropriate policy response.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
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In the paper
“As Moe (1990, p. 125) puts it, designers do not want 'their' agencies to fall under the control of opponents.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Moe 1990
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As noted in Part II, the market place possesses strong mechanisms for lengthening time horizons -especially the basic continuity of firms over time and the presence of capital markets.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclearIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Path dependence arguments rest on a conception of”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Stinchcombe 1968
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Ikenberry 1994
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus an awareness of the possibility of path dependence necessarily draws social scientists to an investigation of history, if only to evaluate the validity of functionalist assertions.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A politician focusing on the short term pay-off would choose Option A.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > The Complexity and Opacity of Politics.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- The authors state this as an assumption: In the illustrative model, the crucial decision-maker is a politician up for re-election in two years, and effects after the election cycle do not count for much.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The significance of path dependence for social scientists can be sustained if either the relevance of non-remediable path dependence or the prevalence of remediable path dependence can be sustained.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“AsKrugman (1996, pp. 110-11) notes, in the American Economic Association's classifi cation system for journal articles one will now find”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Krugman 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Not matched
In the paper
“As North has argued, path dependent processes of institutionalization are crucial to the development of particular market economies.”
§ Increasing Returns, Path Dependence and the Study of Politics > IV. Path Dependence and the Study of Politics
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites North
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
The authors state this as an assumption.
In the illustrative model, the crucial decision-maker is a politician up for re-election in two years, and effects after the election cycle do not count for much.
“Assume that the crucial decision-maker is a politician up for re-election in two years.In this context, effects after the election cycle do not count for much21.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Where transaction costs are low, market mechanisms are likely to be effective, but they tend to break down when transaction costs are very high.
“Where transaction costs are low, market mechanisms are likely to be effective, but they tend to break down when trans action costs are very high.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The US health care reform episodes are representative enough of politics that conclusions about the difficulty of reforming deeply institutionalized policy drawn from them extend beyond health care.
“Thus even when an area of public policy is widely seen as problematic, it may be extremely diffi cult to engineer serious reforms if the policy has become deeply institutional ized.”
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The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“the so-called path dependency of welfare institutions is stronger in more developed welfare states (Boone etal., 2018; Pierson, 2000)”
From Public opinion on basic income: Mapping European support for a radical alternative for welfare provision (2020) · cites this paper as Pierson, 2000
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Established conventions often remain established long after their original legitimation has dropped away precisely because agreeing to change – funding it, designing it and implanting it – is often extraordinarily difficult (Pierson, 2000).”
From Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science (2022) · cites this paper as Pierson, 2000
Citations
Cites
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
North, D. C. (1990) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511808678 · Cited by 32,691 · cited 4×
“This matrix, he emphasizes, "produces massive increasing returns" (North 1990a, 95).”
BackgroundInfluentialInstitutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
Munger, M. C., & North, D. C. (1991) · Southern Economic Journal · doi:10.2307/1060065 · Cited by 25,224
Increasing returns and long-run growth
Romer, P. M. (1986) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/261420 · Cited by 20,149
Olson, M. (1965) · doi:10.4159/9780674041660 · Cited by 14,191
The Logic of Collective Action.
Golembiewski, R. T., & Olson, M. (1966) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2091298 · Cited by 11,371
Policy paradigms, social learning, and the state: The case of economic policymaking in Britain
Hall, P. A. (1993) · Comparative Politics · doi:10.2307/422246 · Cited by 7,369
Lukes, S. (1974) · Power · doi:10.1007/978-0-230-80257-5_2 · Cited by 6,654
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North, D. C., & Weingast, B. R. (1989) · The Journal of Economic History · doi:10.1017/s0022050700009451 · Cited by 5,300
Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy
Arthur, W. (2026) · doi:10.3998/mpub.10029 · Cited by 4,547
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Sorted by citations
Items 301–400 of 8,028
Changing Lanes in China: Foreign Direct Investment, Local Governments, and Auto Sector Development
Thun, E. (2006) · Cited by 169
Goldstein, J. E., Neimark, B., Garvey, B., & Phelps, J. (2022) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106116 · Cited by 217
The comparative sequential method
Falleti, T. G., & Mahoney, J. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781316273104.009 · Cited by 178
Buschmann, P., & Oels, A. (2019) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.574 · Cited by 168
“Pierson has observed that actors who want to redistribute political authority in their favor also often draw on seemingly small institutional changes that enhance their competitive advantage dramatically over time through mechanisms of increasing returns (Pierson, 2000, p. 259).”
BackgroundInfluentialEthnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe
Stroschein, S. (2012) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511793769 · Cited by 172
The Politics of Trade-Offs: Studying the Dynamics of Welfare State Reform With Conjoint Experiments
Häusermann, S., Kurer, T., & Traber, D. (2018) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414018797943 · Cited by 159
“…functional pressure for welfare reform—the financial consolidation of major welfare programs and their adaptation to new social demands are highly conflictual politically because institutional feedback processes create endogenous stabilizers for existing welfare state programs (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundThe Domestic Sources of Multilateral Preferences: Varieties of Capitalism in the European Community
Fioretos, O. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199247757.003.0006 · Cited by 168
The Politics of Electoral Reform: Changing the Rules of Democracy
Renwick, A. (2010) · Cited by 166
The Diverging Logics of Integration Policy Making at National and City Level
Jørgensen, M. B. (2012) · International Migration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00886.x · Cited by 167
“Historical institutionalists have investigated how certain constellations have come into power and especially sought to explain the continued existence of such constellations through path dependencies (Pierson, 2000; Pierson and Skocpol, 2002).”
BackgroundOrganizing for Fluidity? Dilemmas of New Organizational FormsPreprint
Schreyögg, G., & Sydow, J. (2010) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.17169/refubium-24878 · Cited by 168
Capano, G., & Howlett, M. P. (2019) · Public Policy and Administration · doi:10.1177/0952076719827068 · Cited by 190
“…addresses these issues but requires careful reasoning both in terms of the kinds of processes and interactions that can be activated by a policy instrument and how policy development can occur to help these happen (Moynihan and Soss, 2014; Pierson, 1993, 2000a, 2000b; Schneider and Sydney, 2009).”
BackgroundMass Incarceration and the Paradox of Prison Conditions Litigation
Schoenfeld, H. (2010) · Law & Society Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2010.00421.x · Cited by 169
Benedetto, G. (2005) · Journal of European Public Policy · doi:10.1080/1350176042000311916 · Cited by 173
“The assignment of office, such as committee chairs, as well as legislative voting behaviour, are highly consensual between groups owing to pathdependent power-sharing (North 1990; Pierson 1993, 1996, 2000), which is deeply rooted within EU institutions.”
BackgroundHow policy instruments are chosen: patterns of decision makers’ choices
Capano, G., & Lippi, A. A. (2016) · Policy Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11077-016-9267-8 · Cited by 164
“…historical and socioorganizational institutionalisms, policy instruments when considered as institutions can be bearers either of lock-in effects (Pierson 2000) or of a set of social and political values, and as such, they can contribute towards the construction of reality (Le Galès and…”
BackgroundBailey, N. (2011) · Progress in Planning · doi:10.1016/j.progress.2011.11.001 · Cited by 164
Callander, S. (2011) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055411000426 · Cited by 148
Howlett, M. P., Rayner, J., & Tollefson, C. (2009) · Forest Policy and Economics · doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2009.01.003 · Cited by 172
“New initiatives aimed at taking a more integrated or holistic approach to resource management planning have had to contend with significant policy legacies bequeathed from these earlier efforts which reinforce governmental control and hierarchy (Mahoney, 2000; Pierson, 2000; Weir, 1992).”
BackgroundAnria, S. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108551755 · Cited by 209
With a Little Help from my Friends
Murillo, M. V., & Schrank, A. M. (2005) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414004274402 · Cited by 159
Race, Legality, and the Social Policy Consequences of Anti-Immigration Mobilization
Brown, H. E. (2013) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.1177/0003122413476712 · Cited by 163
“As a result, early establishment of a meager welfare state creates an institutional environment unfriendly to expansion, whereas early adopters of generous policies are unlikely to later restrict benefits (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundJanipour, Z., de Nooij, R., Scholten, P. W. A., Huijbregts, M. A. J., & de Coninck, H. (2019) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2019.101320 · Cited by 170
“Such incremental improvements increase returns for the incumbent system, but at the same time increase reversal costs to a carbon-saving system leading to inertia to implement any disruptive technologies [36,37,50], such as DER options.”
BackgroundLatin America : towards a liberal-informal welfare regime
Gough, I., Wood, G. D., Barrientos, A., Bevan, P., Davis, P., & Room, G. (2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511720239.006 · Cited by 165
Organisatorische Pfade — Von der Pfadabhängigkeit zur Pfadkreation?
Schreyögg, G., Sydow, J., & Koch, J. (2003) · Managementforschung · doi:10.1007/978-3-322-91291-6_7 · Cited by 161
Political Institutions and Welfare State Restructuring
Swank, D. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0198297564.003.0008 · Cited by 157
Women on corporate boards around the world: Triggers and barriers
Chizema, A., Kamuriwo, D. S., & Shinozawa, Y. (2015) · The Leadership Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.07.005 · Cited by 172
“Path dependence describes the ‘causal relevance of preceding stages in a temporal sequence’ Pierson, 2000: 252).”
Beyer, J. (2005) · Zeitschrift für Soziologie · doi:10.1515/zfsoz-2005-0101 · Cited by 157
Ruling the Interregnum: Politics and Ideology in Nonhegemonic Times
Stahl, R. M. (2019) · Politics & Society · doi:10.1177/0032329219851896 · Cited by 155
Pollack, M. A. (2005) · Annual Review of Political Science · doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.8.082103.104858 · Cited by 169
“See Greven & Pauly 2000, pp. 35–61 Greven MT, Pauly LW, eds.”
BackgroundInfluentialSocial Transformation and Its Human Costs in the Prehispanic U.S. Southwest
Hegmon, M., Peeples, M. A., Kinzig, A. P., Kulow, S., Meegan, C. M., & Nelson, M. C. (2008) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1111/j.1548-1433.2008.00041.x · Cited by 154
“(6) Path dependence: Some or all of the above may constitute a situation known as “path dependence” in literature on institutions and technology (see Pierson 2000 for a recent review).”
BackgroundInstitutions, Path Dependence, and Democratic Consolidation
Alexander, G. (2001) · Journal of Theoretical Politics · doi:10.1177/095169280101300302 · Cited by 155
The Open Method of Co-ordination and the European Welfare State
Chalmers, D., & Lodge, M. C. (2003) · Archive of European Integration (AEI) (University of Pittsburgh) · Cited by 154
Review Article: Comparative Political Science and the Study of Education
Busemeyer, M. R., & Trampusch, C. (2011) · British Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1017/s0007123410000517 · Cited by 153
“Early events matter more than later events, because they have a strong impact on the selection of development paths (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundContesting gender quotas: dynamics of resistance
Krook, M. L. (2016) · Politics Groups and Identities · doi:10.1080/21565503.2016.1151797 · Cited by 162
Solar lobby and energy transition in Japan
Li, A., Xu, Y., & Shiroyama, H. (2019) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110950 · Cited by 153
Cabinets, Ministers, and Gender
Annesley, C., Beckwith, K., & Franceschet, S. (2019) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190069018.001.0001 · Cited by 155
Primary Care In Canada: So Much Innovation, So Little Change
Hutchison, B. G., Abelson, J., & Lavis, J. N. (2001) · Health Affairs · doi:10.1377/hlthaff.20.3.116 · Cited by 154
Explaining convergence of OECD welfare states: a conditional approach
Schmitt, C., & Starke, P. (2011) · Journal of European Social Policy · doi:10.1177/0958928710395049 · Cited by 161
“In addition, some parts of the welfare state are generally thought of as prime examples of path dependency (on the concept, see Mahoney, 2000; Pierson, 2000, 2004).”
BackgroundPicturephone and the Information Age: The Social Meaning of Failure
Lipartito, K. J. (2003) · Technology and Culture · doi:10.1353/tech.2003.0033 · Cited by 151
Communication Network Evolution in Organizational Communities
Monge, P. R., Heiss, B. M. R., & Margolin, D. (2008) · Communication Theory · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2008.00330.x · Cited by 150
The Power of Ideas: The Ideational Shaping of the Structural Power of Business
Bell, S. (2012) · International Studies Quarterly · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2478.2012.00743.x · Cited by 174
Dobusch, L., & Schüßler, E. (2012) · Industrial and Corporate Change · doi:10.1093/icc/dts029 · Cited by 159
“This thinking has also been applied to understanding institutional development in economics (North, 1990; David, 1994) and in political science (e.g. Collier and Collier, 1991; Thelen, 1999; Pierson, 2000).”
Legitimizing the EU: Is there a ‘Post‐parliamentary Basis’ for its Legitimation?
Lord, C., & Beetham, D. (2001) · JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies · doi:10.1111/1468-5965.00298 · Cited by 153
Learning from Floods: Linking flood experience and flood resilience
Kuang, D., & Liao, K. (2020) · Journal of Environmental Management · doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111025 · Cited by 152
Can Game(s) Theory Explain Culture?
Bednar, J., & Page, S. (2007) · Rationality and Society · doi:10.1177/1043463107075108 · Cited by 129
Historical Context and Path Dependence
Mahoney, J., & Schensul, D. (2009) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199270439.003.0024 · Cited by 176
Complexity and Uncertainty: Problem or Asset in Decision Making of Mega Infrastructure Projects?
Salet, W. G. M., Bertolini, L., & Giezen, M. (2012) · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01133.x · Cited by 177
Labour Market Regimes Under Threat? Sources of Continuity in Germany, Britain, and Sweden
Wood, S. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0198297564.003.0013 · Cited by 151
Capitalist diversity and the international regulation of hedge funds
Fioretos, O. (2010) · Review of International Political Economy · doi:10.1080/09692291003723789 · Cited by 151
“…by the environment in which they are embedded and that their incorporation in the policy-making process is a product of historical practices that give groups and regulatory authorities in some countries greater influence in the policy-making process (e.g. Pierson, 1993, 2000; Thelen, 1999, 2004).”
BackgroundHow Should Academics Engage in Policymaking to Achieve Impact?
Cairney, P., & Oliver, K. A. (2018) · Political Studies Review · doi:10.1177/1478929918807714 · Cited by 193
“…might suggest that evidence may not influence policy dramatically if it goes against a series of choices made and reinforced over decades (Pierson, 2000), while discursive institutionalism suggests that policymaking is more open to the types of communicative discourse that may suit some…”
BackgroundHow Ideas and Institutions Shape the Politics of Public Policy
Béland, D. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108634700 · Cited by 171
The emergence and effectiveness of global health networks: findings and future research
Shiffman, J., Schmitz, H. P., Berlan, D. G., Smith, S., Quissell, K., Gneiting, U., & Pelletier, D. L. (2016) · Health Policy and Planning · doi:10.1093/heapol/czw012 · Cited by 147
Sydow, J., Windeler, A., Schubert, C., & Möllering, G. (2012) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840612448029 · Cited by 160
“…(David, 1985; Arthur, 1989) but modified this theoretical device significantly on the basis of more recent contributions to the debate (e.g. Pierson, 2000; Garud & Karnøe, 2001; Windeler, 2003; Djelic & Quack, 2007; Sydow et al., 2009; Garud et al., 2010), not least by using structuration…”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialBartley, T. (2005) · Research in political sociology · doi:10.1016/s0895-9935(05)14007-8 · Cited by 143
“…of path dependence argue that the specific outcome of past events shapes the possibility for social change in the future, by shifting action down certain roads, "locking in" some sets of options, and discouraging others (Swedberg & Granovetter, 1992; Haydu, 1998; Mahoney, 2000; Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundThe Autocratic Welfare State: Old-Age Pensions, Credible Commitments, and Regime Survival
Knutsen, C. H., & Rasmussen, M. (2018) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414017710265 · Cited by 146
“program, and ensures more effective distribution of resources once the system is up and running, creating lock-in effects (Pierson, 2000). Furthermore, while words are cheap, spending resources on setting up a targeted pension program provides a more costly, and thus credible, signal that the autocrat will channel res…”
BackgroundInfluentialIntegration and integrated approaches to assessment: what do they mean for the environment?
Scrase, J. I., & Sheate, W. R. (2002) · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · doi:10.1002/jepp.117 · Cited by 146
“The concept of path dependency has been developed largely in the economic study of technology and international relations, and its implications in politics and institutional change developed recently by Pierson (2000a, 2000b).”
BackgroundFeindt, P. H., & Weiland, S. (2018) · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · doi:10.1080/1523908x.2018.1532562 · Cited by 180
“In political science, historical institutionalists developed an evolutionary concept of institutional change that emphasized path dependency (Hall & Soskice, 2001; Pierson, 2000) and context-specific constellations (Thelen, 1999), but also the importance of social learning (Hall, 1993).”
BackgroundThe (non-)politics of managing low carbon socio-technical transitions
Scrase, I., & Smith, A. (2009) · Environmental Politics · doi:10.1080/09644010903157008 · Cited by 143
“Steps could be taken to tie future governments into continuing the political project (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundOborn, E., Barrett, M., & Exworthy, M. (2011) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01889.x · Cited by 143
Hospital centralization and performance in Denmark—Ten years on
Christiansen, T., & Vrangbæk, K. (2018) · Health Policy · doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2017.12.009 · Cited by 144
Comparative-historical analysis in contemporary political science
Thelen, K., & Mahoney, J. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781316273104.002 · Cited by 149
Systematic Process Analysis: when and how to use it
Hall, P. A. (2008) · European Political Science · doi:10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210130 · Cited by 143
“Path-dependent models of the polity often specify an accumulation of interaction effects over time, creating so many divergent contextual effects in the cases that it becomes unreasonable to expect the same causal factor to produce similar effects in each of them (Mahoney, 2000a; Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundFernandez, J. J., & Castillo, A. M. J. (2012) · European Sociological Review · doi:10.1093/esr/jcs059 · Cited by 154
Towards sustainable development? The evolution of environmental policy in Malaysia
Hezri, A. A., & Hasan, M. N. (2006) · Natural Resources Forum · doi:10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00156.x · Cited by 157
Beyond Supply and Demand: A Feminist-institutionalist Theory of Candidate Selection
Krook, M. L. (2009) · Political Research Quarterly · doi:10.1177/1065912909336275 · Cited by 151
(2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511617072 · Cited by 144
Why States Expand Medicaid: Party, Resources, and History
Jacobs, L. R., & Callaghan, T. (2013) · Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law · doi:10.1215/03616878-2334889 · Cited by 142
The Historical Dynamics of Social–Ecological Traps
Boonstra, W. J., & de Boer, F. W. (2013) · AMBIO · doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0419-1 · Cited by 146
“As such effects begin to accumulate, they generate a powerful virtuous (or vicious) cycle of self-reinforcing activity (Pierson 2000, p. 253).”
BackgroundThe Evolution of Modern States
Steinmo, S. H. (2010) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511762185 · Cited by 328
Institutional stickiness and the New Development Economics
Boettke, P. J., Coyne, C. J., & Leeson, P. T. (2015) · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · doi:10.4337/9780857931733.00011 · Cited by 134
Why Do Some Regions in Europe Have a Higher Quality of Government?
Charron, N., & Lapuente, V. (2013) · The Journal of Politics · doi:10.1017/s0022381613000510 · Cited by 140
“Rothstein and Uslaner (2005) offer a more developed version of the equality argument building upon what comparativist scholars (e.g., Pierson 2000) call feedback mechanisms or increasing returns between sociopolitical variables.”
BackgroundThe evolution of Norway's national innovation system
Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D. C., & Verspagen, B. (2009) · Science and Public Policy · doi:10.3152/030234209x460944 · Cited by 152
Creative industries, creative class and competitiveness: Expert opinions critically appraised
Bontje, M. A., & Musterd, S. (2009) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2009.07.001 · Cited by 140
Causes and Consequences of Political Clientelism: Mexico's PRD in Comparative Perspective
Hilgers, T. (2008) · Latin American Politics and Society · doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2008.00032.x · Cited by 139
“Thus, “big events,” such as the Mexican tradition of clientelism, are important in defining particular paths, but smaller events occurring at key moments may have an equally significant impact (see Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundPath Constitution Analysis: A Methodology for Understanding Path Dependence and Path Creation
Sydow, J., Windeler, A., Müller‐Seitz, G., & Lange, K. S. G. (2012) · BuR - Business Research · doi:10.1007/bf03342736 · Cited by 148
Rethinking resort growth: understanding evolving governance strategies in Whistler, British Columbia
GILL, A. M., & Williams, P. W. (2011) · Journal of Sustainable Tourism · doi:10.1080/09669582.2011.558626 · Cited by 146
“…spawned a growing social science interest in ways of using evolutionary approaches to conceptualize change (e.g. Boschma & Martin, 2007; Essletzbichler & Rigby, 2007; MacKinnon, Cumbers, Pike, Birch, & McMaster, 2009; Mahoney, 2000; Pierson, 2000; Pike, Birch, Cumber, MacKinnon, & McMaster, 2009).”
The Dynamics of Welfare State Expansion
Iversen, T. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0198297564.003.0003 · Cited by 143
Reforming European Welfare States
Clasen, J. (2005) · doi:10.1093/0199270716.001.0001 · Cited by 174
Medicine and management in a comparative perspective: the case of Denmark and England
Kirkpatrick, I., Jespersen, P. K., Dent, M., et al. (2009) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2009.01157.x · Cited by 138
Global democracy: in the beginning
Goodin, R. E. (2010) · International Theory · doi:10.1017/s1752971910000060 · Cited by 139
“The more you are already doing of something, the higher the payoff to you per unit cost of doing yet more of it (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundThe Evolution of Health-Policy Making in Italy
France, G., & Taroni, F. (2005) · Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law · doi:10.1215/03616878-30-1-2-169 · Cited by 137
Explaining Institutional Change: Policy Areas, Outside Options, and the Bretton Woods Institutions
Lipscy, P. Y. (2014) · American Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1111/ajps.12130 · Cited by 142
The effects of negotiation democracy: A comparative analysis
Armingeon, K. (2002) · European Journal of Political Research · doi:10.1111/1475-6765.00004 · Cited by 137
“(d) Political legacies (Rose & Davies 1994) and path dependency (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundFoxon, T. J., Pearson, P. J. G., Arapostathis, S., Carlsson-Hyslop, A., & Thornton, J. (2012) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.04.030 · Cited by 136
“Pierson (2000) argued that increasing returns would be particularly prevalent in political institutions, such as market or regulatory frameworks.”
BackgroundHandbook on the Geographies of Innovation
Breschi, S., Lissoni, F., & Temgoua, C. N. (2016) · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · doi:10.4337/9781784710774 · Cited by 137
Introduction: time, temporality and timescapes in administration and policy
Howlett, M. P., & Goetz, K. H. (2014) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852314543210 · Cited by 139
“…sectoral political institutions as well as political ideas, discourses and paradigms (Lieberman, 2002; Lindner, 2003; Lindner and Rittberger, 2003; Pierson 2000a, 2000b, 2004), and appears to be more consistent with the actual empirical record of changes found in many countries and sectors than…”
BackgroundSedelmeier, U. (2011) · West European Politics · doi:10.1080/01402382.2012.631311 · Cited by 136
“The first explanation focuses on a process of increasing returns in which the relative benefits of an initial institutional choice compared to institutional alternatives increase over time (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundInstitutional Reproduction and Change
Campbell, J. L. (2010) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199233762.003.0005 · Cited by 175
“As a result, institutions and the behavior associated with them become locked in to a particular path of historical development (Pierson 2000a, 2000b).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialRecent vaccine mandates in the United States, Europe and Australia: A comparative study
Attwell, K., Navin, M. C., Lopalco, P. L., et al. (2018) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.10.019 · Cited by 136
Lori, N. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108632560 · Cited by 140
Management, U. L. R. U. P. M. P. G. A., Hart, P. ‘., Management, P., Matters, U. L. R. U. P., Compton, M. E., & Matters, U. L. R. U. P. (2019) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198843719.001.0001 · Cited by 136
“Institutions also help create a sense of ‘path dependence’ when choices made in the past make it relatively expensive to change course (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundHow Institutions Evolve: Evolutionary Theory and Institutional Change
Lewis, O. A., & Steinmo, S. H. (2012) · Polity · doi:10.1057/pol.2012.10 · Cited by 131
Burch, S. L., Sheppard, S. R. J., Shaw, A., & Flanders, D. (2010) · Journal of Flood Risk Management · doi:10.1111/j.1753-318x.2010.01062.x · Cited by 141
“Given the critical importance of timing in path-dependent processes (Pierson, 2000), it is especially important that these opportunities occur within a broader supportive context in terms of extra-municipal climate change policy consistency and public awareness.”
BackgroundMeijer, A. J. (2015) · International Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1080/01900692.2014.934837 · Cited by 133
“In line with Pierson (2000) and Levi (1997), these drawbacks stall rather than actually reverse the movement toward more transparency.”
Welfare regimes in development contexts : a global and regional analysis
Gough, I., Wood, G. D., Barrientos, A., Bevan, P., Davis, P., & Room, G. (2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511720239.003 · Cited by 133
Conceptualizing Continuity and Change
Boas, T. C. (2007) · Journal of Theoretical Politics · doi:10.1177/0951629807071016 · Cited by 139
“In doing so, it builds upon and extends recent work by scholars such as Mahoney (2000), Pierson (2000), Schickler (2001), Schwartz (2004), and Thelen (2003, 2004), clarifying certain points of ambiguity in their discussions of institutional development.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialZald, M., Morrill, C., & Rao, H. (2005) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511791000.014 · Cited by 83
Policy Tool Interactions and the Adoption of State Renewable Portfolio Standards
Yi, H., & Feiock, R. C. (2012) · Review of Policy Research · doi:10.1111/j.1541-1338.2012.00548.x · Cited by 132
“In this sense, the positive policy interaction parallels the “increasing return” argument by historical institutionalism (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundInscribed Strategies: Exploring the Organizational Nature of Strategic Lock-in
Koch, J. (2011) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840610397486 · Cited by 131
“Pierson (2000, 2004) also regards self-reinforcing effects as the crucial factors.”
BackgroundPierson, P. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781316273104.006 · Cited by 148
Self-citationMaking Sense of the Design of International Institutions
Voeten, E. (2019) · Annual Review of Political Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-041916-021108 · Cited by 132
Metadata
- Authors
- Pierson, P.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pierson, Paul
- ORCID
- Pierson, Paul
- Venue
- American Political Science Review
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2000-06
- Volume
- 94
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 251-267
- ISSN
- 0003-0554 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5943
- OpenAlex
- W2147111138
- Semantic Scholar
- 274439eda2c6c9e513794e1ee8f8eb9ac952431c
- Cited by
- 8,094
- References
- 97
- Citations by year
- 2026: 608 · 2025: 459 · 2024: 379 · 2023: 413 · 2022: 422 · 2021: 448 · 2020: 513 · 2019: 528 · 2018: 389 · 2017: 302 · 2016: 332 · 2015: 318 · 2014: 338 · 2013: 319 · 2012: 307
- FWCI
- 487.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- public-domain
- www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 5174 d)
- Locations
- American Political Science Review (publishedVersion)
- Cadmus - EUI Research Repository (European University Institute) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Science Research and Education
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic Theory and Institutions
- Keywords
- path dependence, increasing returns, historical institutionalism, political development, critical junctures, institutional change, political process
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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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