On a Branching Route: The Spectrum of Path Dependency in Policy Research

TL;DR: This article explores the evolution and diversity of path dependence as an explanatory framework in policy research, highlighting its application in social and environmental policy, and illustrating how its meaning is shaped by the discussion environment.

Abstract: This article describes the evolution of the discussion around the concept of path dependence, which has established itself as an explanatory framework in various academic disciplines, including policy research. It outlines the diversity of conceptual ideas, presents efforts at specification that have helped to further multiply the interpretive possibilities of the concept, and illustrates the application of the concept in social and environmental policy. In the two policy fields, the concept is significant for the scientific debate in different ways, which indicates that the meaning of concepts is shaped by the respective discussion environment. The article shows that the ambiguity of the concept has not hindered its further application. There are now many different plausible reference points for dealing with the concept of path dependence in policy research.