The Myth of Institutional Rigidity
23 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 2015 Last revised: 8 Nov 2015
Date Written: March 24, 2015
Abstract
Institutions change slowly. This simple proposition is widely accepted among academics who specialize in the study of public institutions. It is an essential organizing principle within the area of study that is known as the new institutionalism. But this proposition is also a myth. This is not the same as asserting that it is clearly untrue. The proposition can be regarded as a myth because is broadly endorsed as an organizing principle within the field, whose accuracy is taken for granted. Indeed, it is not clear that it is possible to empirically establish the truth of the proposition. The unquestioning acceptance of this proposition has unfortunate consequences. It encourages pessimism about the capacity of democratic systems to respond competently to new problems.
Keywords: institutionalism, institutional change, democracy
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