Atelier PACTE-LET

Path Dependency and Punctuated Equilibrium as Generational Models of Policy Change: Evaluating Alternatives to the Homeostatic Orthodoxy in Policy Dynamics

Path Dependency and Punctuated Equilibrium as Generational Models of Policy Change: Evaluating Alternatives to the Homeostatic Orthodoxy in Policy Dynamics. 

History is a difficult subject for students of policy-making. Although most policy studiesfocus on changes which occur in government actions over time, the need to carefullyexamine the often implicit theories of history behind identified patterns of policydevelopment has only been recently recognized. Studies of policy change have advancedto the point where the basic contours and factors driving policy change are nowreasonably well identified and understood. While there is a great deal of empiricalevidence pointing to the prevalence of punctuated equilibrium processes in policydynamics, however, the reasons why such processes occur is less well understood. Thispaper addresses the conceptual challenges required to provide a solid grounding for theunderstanding and analysis of long-term policy dynamics focusing on the ideas of pathdependency and process sequencing as alternatives to the current 'homeostatic orthodoxy'.

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