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
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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 401–500 of 8,028
The National Origins of Policy Ideas
Campbell, J. L., & Pedersen, O. K. (2014) · Princeton University Press eBooks · doi:10.1515/9781400850365 · Cited by 131
The Political Economy of the American Frontier
Murtazashvili, I. (2013) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139094092 · Cited by 125
The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America
Brinks, D. M., Levitsky, S., & Murillo, M. V. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108776608 · Cited by 143
Peters, B. G. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198297253.001.0001 · Cited by 167
Exploring the Scope of Public and Private Responsibilities for Climate Adaptation
Mees, H. L. P., Driessen, P., & Runhaar, H. A. C. (2012) · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · doi:10.1080/1523908x.2012.707407 · Cited by 130
“…responsibilities might be constrained by institutional settings and policy routines, limiting the conscious (re)consideration of responsibility divisions among public and/or private actors (in line with theories of path dependency as described by, for instance, Howlett, 2009 and Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundSolingen, E. (2007) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055407070487 · Cited by 136
Jupille, J. (2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511510205 · Cited by 129
From Implicit to Explicit Corporate Social Responsibility: Institutional Change as a Fight for Myths
Hiß, S. (2009) · Business Ethics Quarterly · doi:10.5840/beq200919324 · Cited by 130
“In terms of path dependency theory (Arthur, 1989; David, 1985; Djelic & Quack 2007; Mahoney, 2000; Pierson, 2000; Thelen, 1999), new institutional equilibria have to be found.”
BackgroundMoss, T. (2013) · Urban Studies · doi:10.1177/0042098013500086 · Cited by 128
“By virtue of increasing returns on investments, high sunk costs and institutional ‘lock-in’, socio-technical systems develop self-reinforcing mechanisms which help to explain why subsequent path transformation can prove so difficult (Pierson, 2000; Melosi, 2005).”
BackgroundHay, C. (2004) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/j.0033-3298.2004.00382.x · Cited by 131
Busemeyer, M. R., Abrassart, A., & Nezi, R. (2019) · British Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1017/s0007123418000534 · Cited by 136
“The most obvious contradiction is that researchers working in the tradition of Pierson (1993) would argue that ‘positive’ (that is, selfreinforcing) feedback effects dominate. In contrast, Wlezien and Soroka (2012, 1409) expect a dominance of ‘negative’, self-undermining feedback effects. At the same time, the terms ‘…”
BackgroundInfluentialAmenta, E., & Ramsey, K. M. (2009) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-68930-2_2 · Cited by 197
Béland, D., & Hacker, J. S. (2004) · International Journal of Social Welfare · doi:10.1111/j.1369-6866.2004.00296.x · Cited by 128
“…some institutional theorists stress that because of the longterm feedback effects of institutions and policies, the social policy process is highly ‘path-dependent’, with decisions at an earlier point in time heavily influencing the available options at later historical junctures (Pierson, 2000b).”
BackgroundInfluentialDooms, M., Verbeke, A. C., & Haezendonck, E. L. (2012) · Journal of Transport Geography · doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2012.06.002 · Cited by 128
Imagining the post-fossil city: why is it so difficult to think of new possible worlds?
Hajer, M. A., & Versteeg, W. (2018) · Territory Politics Governance · doi:10.1080/21622671.2018.1510339 · Cited by 128
“The notion of ‘path dependency’ refers to the fact that the costs of switching to a previously plausible alternative increase over time (Pierson, 2000), or, more broadly, the extent to which present actions are limited by existing institutional contexts, locked in routines and decisions made in the…”
BackgroundSydow, J., Schreyögg, G., & Koch, J. (2020) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2020.0163 · Cited by 138
“This situation holds true for technological developments, whereas in organizational settings the final phase still leaves some scope, like a corridor, for minor variation (see also Martin & Sunley, 2006; Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundSmith, A. (2003) · Science and Public Policy · doi:10.3152/147154303781780623 · Cited by 125
Henriksen, L. S., Smith, S. R., & Zimmer, A. (2011) · VOLUNTAS International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations · doi:10.1007/s11266-011-9221-5 · Cited by 133
Modell, S., Jacobs, K., & Wiesel, F. (2007) · Management Accounting Research · doi:10.1016/j.mar.2006.12.001 · Cited by 126
Villamayor‐Tomás, S., Grundmann, P., Epstein, G., Evans, T. P., & Kimmich, C. (2015) · Institutional Repository (IHS Vienna) · Cited by 125
British colonialism and the criminalization of homosexuality
Han, E., & O’Mahoney, J. (2014) · Cambridge Review of International Affairs · doi:10.1080/09557571.2013.867298 · Cited by 130
“The literature on institutions has often emphasized how institutions can generate path dependence and thus canmake changes to the status quo difficult to achieve (Mahoney 2000; Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundPath dependency in provision of domestic heating
Gross, R., & Hanna, R. F. (2019) · Nature Energy · doi:10.1038/s41560-019-0383-5 · Cited by 125
Exploring social structures and agency in backcasting studies for sustainable development
Wangel, J. (2011) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2011.03.007 · Cited by 125
Amenta, E., Bonastia, C., & Caren, N. (2001) · Annual Review of Sociology · doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.213 · Cited by 125
“Dividing welfare states into Esping-Andersen’s types helps to explain cross-national differences in retrenchment efforts (Pierson 2000b; see also Swank 2001).”
BackgroundMethodGuilherme, M., & Dietz, G. (2015) · Journal of Multicultural Discourses · doi:10.1080/17447143.2015.1015539 · Cited by 124
“…with data on the persisting, often colonially shaped longue durée of inequalities, which in the ethnographic present end up creating a syntactical dimension, a syntax which creates particular ‘path dependencies’ (Pierson 2000) that enable certain perceptions of heterogeneity while avoiding others.”
BackgroundWomen's Rights, the European Court, and Supranational Constitutionalism
Cichowski, R. A. (2004) · Law & Society Review · doi:10.1111/j.0023-9216.2004.00055.x · Cited by 124
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL POLICY
Amenta, E. (2003) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511803963.004 · Cited by 127
Why the Open Method of Coordination Is Bad For You: A Letter to the EU
Hatzopoulos, V. G. (2007) · European Law Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0386.2007.00368.x · Cited by 123
Policy Feedback Effects on Mass Publics: A Quantitative Review
Larsen, E. G. (2018) · Policy Studies Journal · doi:10.1111/psj.12280 · Cited by 132
Employers, Public Policy, and the Politics of Decentralized Cooperation in Germany and France
Culpepper, P. D. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199247757.003.0008 · Cited by 128
Re-examining path dependence in the digital age: The evolution of connected car business models
Bohnsack, R., Kurtz, H., & Hanelt, A. (2021) · Research Policy · doi:10.1016/j.respol.2021.104328 · Cited by 130
Bonoli, G., & Reber, F. (2009) · European Journal of Political Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-6765.2009.01884.x · Cited by 123
Networks, Diffusion, and Cycles of Collective Action
Oliver, P. E., & Myers, D. J. (2003) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199251789.003.0008 · Cited by 123
Mees, H. L. P. (2016) · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · doi:10.1080/1523908x.2016.1223540 · Cited by 121
Emmenegger, P. (2021) · Theory and Society · doi:10.1007/s11186-021-09433-5 · Cited by 121
“Most historical institutionalists recognize that rules are never self-evident and in need of interpretation (Pierson 2000: 260; Streeck and Thelen 2005: 14).”
BackgroundSovacool, B. K., Geels, F. W., Andersen, A. D., Grubb, M. J., Jordan, A., Kern, F., Kivimaa, P., Lockwood, M., Markard, J., Meadowcroft, J., et al. (2025) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2025.103948 · Cited by 147
Tregaskis, O., & Brewster, C. J. (2005) · Journal of International Business Studies · doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400174 · Cited by 121
“Public sector policy provides a reinforcing complementarity (Pierson, 2000) or a supporting incentive encouraging firm reliance on the distinct comparative advantage offered by the institutional context (Wood, 2001).”
BackgroundFoxon, T. J., & Pearson, P. J. G. (2006) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2006.04.009 · Cited by 121
van Gent, W. P. C. (2012) · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01155.x · Cited by 134
Echoes of the Past: Organizational Foundings as Sources of an Institutional Legacy of Mutualism
Greve, H. R., & Rao, H. (2012) · American Journal of Sociology · doi:10.1086/667721 · Cited by 117
How history matters in organisations: The case of path dependence
Schreyögg, G., Sydow, J., & Holtmann, P. (2011) · Management & Organizational History · doi:10.1177/1744935910387030 · Cited by 124
“Instead of a fully determined lockin, no matter whether cognitive, normative or resource based, a theory of organisational paths is well advised to conceptualise the final stage of a path-dependent process in a less restrictive way, leaving some scope for variation (similarly Eden 2004; Martin and Sunley 2006; Pierson…”
Meyer‐Sahling, J. (2009) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852309337670 · Cited by 129
“On the other hand, a ‘calculus logic’ of historical institutionalism concentrates on the path dependent, often long-term institutional and policy developments that result from actors’ identities and interests, their resource endowments and actor constellations at a particular point in time (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundParty politics and education spending: challenging some common wisdom
Garritzmann, J. L., & Seng, K. (2015) · Journal of European Public Policy · doi:10.1080/13501763.2015.1048703 · Cited by 120
“…argued that decisions made in this formative phase generated path dependencies, reinforced by ‘positive feedback effects’ on the mass-public level (Pierson 1993, 2000), which set incentives for political parties to follow along the existing paths and have made radical policy change electorally…”
BackgroundBéland, D., Campbell, A. L., & Weaver, R. K. (2022) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108938914 · Cited by 135
The Moderation Theory Revisited
Tezcür, G. M. (2009) · Party Politics · doi:10.1177/1354068809339536 · Cited by 117
“Once the path of electoral politics had been taken, that of subversive or contentious politics became increasingly remote (for the notion of path dependency, see Pierson, 2000; Thelen, 2003).”
BackgroundComparative Legal Research and Legal Culture: Facts, Approaches, and Values
Nelken, D. (2016) · Annual Review of Law and Social Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110615-084950 · Cited by 122
How ideas matter in public policy: a review of concepts, mechanisms, and methods
Swinkels, M. (2020) · International Review of Public Policy · doi:10.4000/irpp.1343 · Cited by 116
“Instead, contestation is shaped by path dependency mechanisms (Pierson, 2000) and hegemonic discourses (Blyth, 2013).”
BackgroundDual Citizenship as a Path-Dependent Process
Faist, T., Gerdes, J., & Rieple, B. (2004) · International Migration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2004.tb00224.x · Cited by 117
Why Is France So French? Culture, Institutions, and Neoliberalism, 1974–1981
Prasad, M. (2005) · American Journal of Sociology · doi:10.1086/432778 · Cited by 120
“Pierson (2000b) builds on Arthur’s work and adds the insight that path dependence is much more likely in the social world, because certain features that “correct” path dependence in economics— competitive pressures and learning processes, both of which reduce the persistence of inefficiency—are…”
BackgroundNational strategies for securing a stable supply of rare earths in different world regions
Barteková, E., & Kemp, R. (2016) · Resources Policy · doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.05.003 · Cited by 116
Institutional Analysis with the Institutional Grammar
Siddiki, S., Heikkila, T., Weible, C. M., Pacheco-Vega, R., Carter, D., Curley, C., Deslatte, A., & Bennett, A. (2019) · Policy Studies Journal · doi:10.1111/psj.12361 · Cited by 120
Hale, T. N. (2020) · Global Environmental Politics · doi:10.1162/glep_a_00561 · Cited by 135
Revisiting the French Model: Coordination and Restructuring in French Industry
Hancké, B. (2001) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199247757.003.0009 · Cited by 115
Roosma, F., & van Oorschot, W. (2020) · Journal of European Social Policy · doi:10.1177/0958928719882827 · Cited by 115
“This may be related to the fact that the so-called path dependency of welfare institutions is stronger in more developed welfare states (Boone et al., 2018; Pierson, 2000), with the result that it will be more difficult to gather support for a radical alternative such as BI.”
BackgroundWhy Do Networks Matter? Rationalist and Structuralist Interpretations
Gould, R. V. (2003) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199251789.003.0010 · Cited by 120
What kills international organisations? When and why international organisations terminate
Eilstrup‐Sangiovanni, M. (2020) · European Journal of International Relations · doi:10.1177/1354066120932976 · Cited by 139
“Second, institutions tend to accumulate knowledge and expertise, which leads to higher returns from continuing use (‘learning effects’) (North, 1990: 95; Pierson, 2000: 253).”
BackgroundEast Asia : the limits of productivist regimes
Gough, I., Wood, G. D., Barrientos, A., Bevan, P., Davis, P., & Room, G. (2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511720239.007 · Cited by 117
Goodin, R. E., Rein, M. L., & Moran, M. (2009) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199548453.003.0001 · Cited by 114
The need for reflexive evaluation approaches in development cooperation
Arkesteijn, M. C. M., van Mierlo, B., & Leeuwis, C. (2015) · Evaluation · doi:10.1177/1356389014564719 · Cited by 120
“This thinking has increasingly been used to analyse socio-economic developments as well as political processes since the groundbreaking work of Arthur (1994; see also David, 1994; Page, 2006; Pierson, 2000).”
MethodThe Privatization of Public Legal Rights: How Manufacturers Construct the Meaning of Consumer Law
Talesh, S. A. (2009) · Law & Society Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2009.00381.x · Cited by 118
Busemeyer, M. R., Garritzmann, J. L., & Neimanns, E. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108777896 · Cited by 164
The Role of Fiscal Rules in Budgeting
Schick, A. (2003) · OECD Journal on Budgeting · doi:10.1787/budget-v3-art14-en · Cited by 114
Continuity and Change in Social-ecological Systems: the Role of Institutional Resilience
Herrfahrdt-Pähle, E., & Pahl‐Wostl, C. (2012) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-04565-170208 · Cited by 127
“By contrast, economics and political science emphasize path dependence, inertia, and robustness (North 1993, Pierson 2000, David 2002).”
BackgroundSocial Enterprise – A New Phenomenon in the Field of Economic and Social Welfare?
Sepúlveda, L. (2014) · Social Policy and Administration · doi:10.1111/spol.12106 · Cited by 113
“The second is that institutions are shaped by history; hence the importance of Pierson’s advice ‘to go and look’ and trace the roots of institutional change back to the historical origins of a ‘path’ (Pierson 2000) or a ‘path dependent’ trajectory (Hall and Taylor 1996).”
BackgroundInfluentialJob security regulations in Western democracies: A fuzzy set analysis
Emmenegger, P. (2010) · European Journal of Political Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-6765.2010.01933.x · Cited by 114
“Instead, he credits political-economic traditions and state–society relationships (Badie & Birnbaum 1983; Crouch 1993) as well as path-dependency (Pierson 2000) for the differences in the level of job security regulations.”
BackgroundResultWhy Asylum Policy Harmonisation Undermines Refugee Burden-Sharing
Thielemann, E. R. (2004) · European Journal of Migration and Law · doi:10.1163/1571816041518769 · Cited by 113
Nasra, R., & Dacin, M. T. (2009) · Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2009.00354.x · Cited by 112
“Following the arguments of Thornton et al. (2005), we believe that the temporal sequencing of these events and actions is essential in understanding and explaining Dubai’s transformation, which is in line with theories of path-dependence (Hall & Taylor, 1996; Pierson, 2000, 2004; Sewell, 1996).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSamuels, D. (2002) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414002035004004 · Cited by 114
Race politics in Britain and France ideas and policymaking since the 1960's
Bleich, E. (2003) · Cited by 113
Alesina, A., & Passarelli, F. (2019) · American Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1111/ajps.12440 · Cited by 114
Continuity by Surprise: Explaining Institutional Stability in Contemporary Peru
Vergara, A., & Encinas, D. (2016) · Latin American Research Review · doi:10.1353/lar.2016.0006 · Cited by 118
“P6852.indb 162 3/28/16 2:51:16 PM matter much more than later parts” (Pierson 2000, 263).”
Gustafsson, M., Schilling‐Vacaflor, A., & Lenschow, A. (2023) · Regulation & Governance · doi:10.1111/rego.12526 · Cited by 112
Policy, Politics and Path Dependency: Sport Development in Australia and Finland
Green, M., & Collins, S. (2008) · Sport Management Review · doi:10.1016/s1441-3523(08)70111-6 · Cited by 126
Introduction to the Special Issue: Path Dependence in Housing
Bengtsson, B., & Ruonavaara, H. (2010) · Housing Theory and Society · doi:10.1080/14036090903326411 · Cited by 128
“The efficiency mechanism of path dependence has to do with the coordinating capacity of established institutions and the transactions costs of changing them (cf. Hall & Taylor 1996:945, North 1990, Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundCheon, A., & Urpelainen, J. (2013) · Political Studies · doi:10.1111/1467-9248.12006 · Cited by 108
Are dictatorships returning? Revisiting the ‘democratic rollback’ hypothesis
Merkel, W. (2010) · Contemporary Politics · doi:10.1080/13569771003593839 · Cited by 114
“…loss in importance of formalized rational-choice approaches, the ‘historical institutionalism’ (e.g. Thelen et al. 1992, Mahoney and Snyder 1999, Pierson 2000, 2004, Mahoney and Rueschemeyer 2003) grew in importance in the area of regime research as well (see Mahoney 2001, Stefes 2006,…”
BackgroundA framework on the emergence and effectiveness of global health networks
Shiffman, J., Quissell, K., Schmitz, H. P., Pelletier, D. L., Smith, S., Berlan, D. G., Gneiting, U., Slyke, D. M. V., Mergel, I. A., Rodriguez, M. A., et al. (2015) · Health Policy and Planning · doi:10.1093/heapol/czu046 · Cited by 113
“Understanding whether, why and how they emerge is crucial if we wish to understand their role in changing the world, particularly because early decisions on matters such as governance, membership and focus may be difficult to reverse and have lasting consequences (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundPolicy implementation styles and local governments: the case of climate change adaptation
Lesnikowski, A. C., Biesbroek, R. G., Ford, J. D., & Berrang‐Ford, L. (2020) · Environmental Politics · doi:10.1080/09644016.2020.1814045 · Cited by 111
“It emphasizes that most policy decisions occur in the context of established norms and processes, and so legacies of past decisions influence present policy decisions (Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundThe nonlinear feedback dynamics of asymmetric political polarization
Leonard, N. E., Lipsitz, K., Bizyaeva, A., Franci, A., & Yphtach Lelkes, B. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2102149118 · Cited by 116
“Then, the policy mood input IrðtÞ is as defined in [3] with f ðxÞ 1⁄4 f ðx;Ur,LrÞ and IdðtÞ as in [4] with f ðxÞ 1⁄4 f ðx;Ud,LdÞ.”
Large Firms and Institutional Change
Hancké, B. (2002) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252053.001.0001 · Cited by 111
Why Isn't Government Policy More Preventive?
Cairney, P., & Denny, E. S. (2020) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198793298.001.0001 · Cited by 112
Supply chain sustainability trajectories: learning through sustainability initiatives
Silvestre, B. S., Silva, M. E., Cormack, A. M., & Thomé, A. M. T. (2020) · International Journal of Operations & Production Management · doi:10.1108/ijopm-01-2020-0043 · Cited by 111
Path Dependence, Agency and Technological Evolution
Araújo, L., & Harrison, D. (2002) · Technology Analysis and Strategic Management · doi:10.1080/09537320220125856 · Cited by 110
Definitions and Typologies in Public Administration Research: The Case of Decentralization
Dubois, H. F. W., & Fattore, G. (2009) · International Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1080/01900690902908760 · Cited by 109
“Firstly, reforms can have unintended consequences ( Pierson, 2000 ).”
BackgroundMortensen, P. B., Green‐Pedersen, C., Breeman, G. E., Chaqués‐Bonafont, L., Jennings, W., John, P. C., Palau, A. M., & Timmermans, A. I. (2011) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414011405162 · Cited by 115
40-year reform of farmland institution in China: target, effort and the future
Bi-liang, L. (2017) · China Agricultural Economic Review · doi:10.1108/caer-10-2017-0179 · Cited by 109
“determined by the historical logic accumulated over the years (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundPutting Politics First: The Impact of Politics on American Religious and Secular Orientations
Campbell, D. E., Layman, G. C., Green, J. C., & Sumaktoyo, N. G. (2018) · American Journal of Political Science · doi:10.1111/ajps.12365 · Cited by 107
“…and the Democratic Party as nonreligious and secular sharpens, Republicans may respond by becoming even more religious and Democrats may grow more actively secular—deepening the religious and secular images of the parties and resulting in an increasing returns process (e.g., Pierson 2000).”
BackgroundDaw, J. R., & Morgan, S. G. (2011) · Health Policy · doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2011.08.015 · Cited by 108
What Can Historical Institutionalism Offer Feminist Institutionalists?
Waylen, G. (2009) · Politics & Gender · doi:10.1017/s1743923x09000191 · Cited by 108
“feedback mechanisms or increasing returns that ensure that certain paths once adopted are hard to deviate from ( Pierson 2000 ).”
BackgroundAnsell, C. (2003) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/0199251789.003.0006 · Cited by 111
State-Building and Tax Regimes in Central America
Schneider, A. (2012) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139094061 · Cited by 111
Usage of European Integration - Europeanisation from a Sociological PerspectivePreprint
Jacquot, S., & Woll, C. (1997) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 127
Chung, H., & Thewissen, S. (2011) · Social Policy and Administration · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2011.00779.x · Cited by 107
Water Management in Spain: the Role of Policy Entrepreneurs in Shaping Change
Font, N., & Subirats, J. (2010) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-03344-150225 · Cited by 107
Erosion or decay? Conceptualizing causes and mechanisms of democratic regression
Gerschewski, J. (2020) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510347.2020.1826935 · Cited by 123
The Infrastructure of Collective Action and Policy Content Diffusion in the Organic Food Industry
Lee, B. H. (2009) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2009.47084925 · Cited by 104
“3 Such innovation is an important phenomenon to consider because initial policy content conditions all subsequent policy content, creating a path or trajectory that tends to generate increasing benefits for continuing in that path and increasing costs for deviating from it (Pierson, 2000).”
BackgroundCantarelli, C. C., Flyvbjerg, B., van Wee, B., & Molin, E. J. E. (2010) · Environment and Planning B Planning and Design · doi:10.1068/b36017 · Cited by 123
“…by Walby (2003), who argues that an important role is played by social and political institutions that lock-in certain paths of development, by shaping power, opportunity, and knowledge (Arthur, 1989; David, 1985; Mahoney, 2000; Nee and Cao, 1999; North, 1990; Pierson, 2000a; 2000b; 2001).”
BackgroundThe ASEAN alternative? Ideas, institutions and the challenge to ‘global’ governance
Stubbs, R. (2008) · The Pacific Review · doi:10.1080/09512740802294713 · Cited by 106
“Second is the notion of path dependency and the point that going down one path at a fork in the road restricts future options, for example, in terms of the creation of institutions and the adoption of specific policies ( Mahoney and Schensul 2006 ; Pierson 2000a ).”
BackgroundVarieties of Capitalism in an Internationalized World
Thatcher, M. (2004) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414004266868 · Cited by 107
Tracing the Progress of Process Tracing
Hall, P. A. (2012) · European Political Science · doi:10.1057/eps.2012.6 · Cited by 106
“To take a simple example, Paul Pierson (2000a) and others have argued that, once social programmes are in place, it is difficult for governments to eliminate them, and, in order to explain why this is the case, they specify various kinds of causal mechanisms.”
Background
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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