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The Path‐dependency of an Idea: Why Scandinavian Welfare States Remain Distinct
Author(s) -
Cox Robert
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
social policy and administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9515
pISSN - 0144-5596
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9515.2004.00386.x
Subject(s) - path dependency , dependency (uml) , reputation , positive economics , path (computing) , welfare state , path dependence , welfare , political science , economic system , economics , law and economics , political economy , sociology , neoclassical economics , market economy , law , politics , computer science , programming language , software engineering
Examining reforms that have taken place in the 1990s, this article explores the hypothesis that the most distinctive characteristic of the Scandinavian model today is the “stickiness” of its reputation, rather than the institutions and policies that make up the model. Borrowing the concept of path‐dependency from institutional analysis, the article argues that because there is a strong commitment to the idea of a Scandinavian model, there is a tendency to expand conceptions of the model so that policy changes appear to be consistent with it.