Abstract
The problem of how to theorize endogenous institutional change remains the ‘holy grail’ of historical institutionalism. Particularly important advances have been made within scholarship on gradual institutional transformation th
at has deployed concepts like institutional ambiguity and interpretation to show how actors are able to circumvent and significantly change institutions
over the long term or even at crisis moments. Despite the centrality of interpretive processes for this line of argument, historical institutionalists
focused on long-term institutional transformation have largely shied a
way from employing ideas as a central explanatory analytical category. The paper suggests that to endogenize change, historical institutionalists will need to bring ideas back in, and that such engagement with ideational
and discursive institutionalist scholarship may be particularly fruitful in
relation to two key issues: Interpretive battles over compliance and enforcement; and the role of ideas in forming, maintaining and changing the coalitions of actors that support a specific institutional setup.
at has deployed concepts like institutional ambiguity and interpretation to show how actors are able to circumvent and significantly change institutions
over the long term or even at crisis moments. Despite the centrality of interpretive processes for this line of argument, historical institutionalists
focused on long-term institutional transformation have largely shied a
way from employing ideas as a central explanatory analytical category. The paper suggests that to endogenize change, historical institutionalists will need to bring ideas back in, and that such engagement with ideational
and discursive institutionalist scholarship may be particularly fruitful in
relation to two key issues: Interpretive battles over compliance and enforcement; and the role of ideas in forming, maintaining and changing the coalitions of actors that support a specific institutional setup.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2016 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
| Event | American Political Science Association, APSA Annual Meeting 2016 - Philadelphia, PA, United States Duration: 1 Sept 2016 → 4 Sept 2016 https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/apsa/apsa16/index.php?&obf_var=4945031&PHPSESSID=klf4877sp1u4pca5japvqk5s77 |
Conference
| Conference | American Political Science Association, APSA Annual Meeting 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Philadelphia, PA |
| Period | 01/09/2016 → 04/09/2016 |
| Internet address |