Premium
How Does Path Dependence Facilitate Reform? The Case of the Mega‐Ministry Reform in Shunde District, Guangdong Province, China
Author(s) -
Liang Yuqing,
Ma Weihong
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/aspp.12316
Subject(s) - path dependence , china , christian ministry , path (computing) , economic system , political science , path dependent , economics , law , microeconomics , programming language , mathematical economics , computer science
The traditional view of path dependence is typically focused on the restriction imposed by the past path on future change. Recently, scholars have noted that past paths can also be productive, yielding creativity. These new developments in path dependence illuminate the study of reform. We argue that reforms can form a type of path, with past reforms facilitating future reforms through path dependence. The 1992 administrative reform and the mega‐ministry administrative reform implemented in 2009 in Shunde District, Guangdong Province, China, exhibit this type of change. The 1992 reform significantly influenced the 2009 reform process. The changes that unfolded in Shunde were focused on utilizing this established path to propel further changes. Previous reforms and their outcomes, which constitute a major component of established paths, provide momentum to change by embedding such change as an element of established behavioral patterns and customs; and provide advantageous reform resources for future reforms.