Classical Institutional Theories and Institutional Change

Hinterleitner, Markus; Sager, Fritz; Thelen, Kathleen A.

doi:10.4337/9781803929095.00009

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Classical Institutional Theories and Institutional Change

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Thelen, Kathleen A.
Auswärtiges Wissenschaftliches Mitglied, MPI for the Study of Societies, Max Planck Society;
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA;

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Hinterleitner, M., Sager, F., & Thelen, K. A. (2024). Classical Institutional Theories and Institutional Change. In A. Vatter, & R. Freiburghaus (Eds.), Handbook of Comparative Political Institutions (pp. 23-35). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi:10.4337/9781803929095.00009.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0010-351D-3

Abstract

This chapter explores the paradoxical nature of institutional change, which conflicts with the inherent stability of institutions that shape and constrain actors’ behaviour. The chapter critically assesses how scholars have dealt with this paradox and seeks to enhance our ability to explain institutional change. The theory of gradual institutional change is presented as a way to address the limitations of the three new institutionalisms in accounting for change. The chapter then applies this theory to processes of democratic backsliding and norm erosion in advanced democracies, highlighting the role of institutional reputation in promoting or impeding change. The chapter thus advances our understanding of institutional change by theorizing how institutions not only allow for conflicts to emerge but also how they structure these conflicts and influence their outcome. The usefulness of this theoretical extension is demonstrated by applying it to the (potential) change of three institutions: democracy, bureaucracy and bicameralism.