Increasing returns, path dependence, and the study of politics
By: PIERSON, Paul
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Material type: 
ArticlePublisher: 2000American Political Science Review 94, 2, p. 251-268Abstract: It is increasingly common for social scientis to describe political processes as "path dependent." The concept, however, is often employed without careful elaboration. This article conceptualizes path dependence as a social process grounded in a dynamic of "increasing returns." Reviewing recent literature in economics and suggesting extensions to the world of politcs, the article demonstrates that increasing returns processes are likely to be prevalente, and that good analytical foundations exist for exploring their causes and consequences. The investigation of increasing returns can provide a more rigorous framework for developing some of the key claims of recent scholarship in historical institutionalism; Specific patterns of timing and sequence matter; a wide range of social outcomes may be possible; large consequences may result from relatively small or contigent events; particular courses of action, once introduced, can be almost impossible to reverse; and consequently, politcal development is punctuated by critical moments or junctures that shape the basic contours of social life
| Item type | Current location | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Periódico | Biblioteca Graciliano Ramos | Periódico | Not for loan |
It is increasingly common for social scientis to describe political processes as "path dependent." The concept, however, is often employed without careful elaboration. This article conceptualizes path dependence as a social process grounded in a dynamic of "increasing returns." Reviewing recent literature in economics and suggesting extensions to the world of politcs, the article demonstrates that increasing returns processes are likely to be prevalente, and that good analytical foundations exist for exploring their causes and consequences. The investigation of increasing returns can provide a more rigorous framework for developing some of the key claims of recent scholarship in historical institutionalism; Specific patterns of timing and sequence matter; a wide range of social outcomes may be possible; large consequences may result from relatively small or contigent events; particular courses of action, once introduced, can be almost impossible to reverse; and consequently, politcal development is punctuated by critical moments or junctures that shape the basic contours of social life
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