Gradual Institutional Change
Term
Gradual Institutional Change
Idea level
Others / Field in historical institutionalism
Definition
Gradual institutional change, in historical institutionalism, refers to the process by which institutions evolve through small, incremental shifts rather than sudden shocks.
Yuen Yuen Ang (2015, 2016) clarifies, however, that gradual institutional change does not necessarily equal evolution. Evolution is a particular type of change involving adaptive mechanisms (particularly variation, selection, and retention), whereas some forms of gradual change—such as aging or wear and tear—may occur without adaptation.
In Ang’s analysis, coevolution is not merely gradual change but an adaptive process involving learning and mutual feedback loops, enabled by meta-institutions—higher-order structures that facilitate these processes.
Sources
Canonical reference:
Mahoney, J., and Thelen, K. “A Theory of Gradual Institutional Change.” In Explaining Institutional Change (2010).
Ang’s clarification and correction:
Ang, Y.Y. (2015). “Do Weberian Bureaucracies Lead to Markets or Vice Versa? A Coevolutionary Approach to Development.” In States in the Developing World (2017); SSRN (2015).
Ang, Y.Y. (2016). How China Escaped the Poverty Trap. Introduction; Chapter 2.
Genealogy
[Theory] Gradual Institutional Change: change through slow, incremental shifts rather than sudden shocks
→ [Mechanisms] Layering, drift, conversion, displacement
→ [Critique] But gradual change does not necessarily equal adaptation and evolution
→ [Concept] Adapt vs. Change
→ [Theory] Coevolutionary Development
→ [Mechanisms] Variation, selection, retention, niche-creation
→ [Concept] Meta-institutions: Higher-order designs that enable adaptation
Quotes
[Canonical definition of gradual institutional change] “Once created, institutions often change in subtle and gradual ways over time. Although less dramatic than abrupt and wholesale transformations, these slow and piecemeal changes can be equally consequential for patterning human behavior and for shaping substantive political outcomes.”
— Mahoney and Thelen, “A Theory of Gradual Institutional Change” (2010), pp. 1–2.
[Ang’s correction: gradual ≠ adapt or evolve] Seminal work on… “gradual institutional change” studies how institutions may change even in the absence of exogenous shocks (Mahoney and Thelen 2010; Streeck and Thelen 2005; Thelen 2004)… However, it must be emphasized that gradual change does not equate to adaptation or evolution… [Picture this scenario] a tree is eaten by termites and disintegrates months later. Change happens through gradual processes, but it does not involve adaptation between the tree and the termites.
Coevolution is more than just a process of incremental changes – it is an adaptive process that involves learning and mutual feedbacks. [Picture a different scenario] The acacia tree evolved spikes to keep herbivores from overeating its leaves. In turn, herbivores adapted to the tree’s defensive mechanism by evolving spike-resistant traits... This scenario illustrates coevolution. The property of mutual adaptation over time in the process of coevolution requires that we specify systematic steps to collect data for and to map this particular form of change.”
— Ang, “A Coevolutionary Approach to Development” (2015), p. 285
[Coevolution ≠ gradual change] “One key distinction between my approach and the seminal work of historical institutionalists on ‘institutional evolution’ and ‘gradual institutional change’ is my focus on mapping sequences of mutual adaptations. I start with a precise understanding of evolution as an adaptive process that occurs through the mechanisms outlined above.
A process of gradual change may not involve adaptation. For example, aging occurs gradually, but it is not the result of our adaptive responses to the environment. Nor are evolutionary processes always slow-moving; microcosms can adapt and evolve within minutes.
My analysis examines the processes of mutual adaptation—coevolution— among two or more populations or institutional domains in political economies, a process that is not synonymous with gradual or slow changes. My empirical approach generates multiple snapshots of reciprocal feedbacks between states and markets. When these snapshots are strung in sequence, it reveals a causal logic that integrates and yet departs sharply from the conclusions of conventional theories.
— Ang, How China Escaped the Poverty Trap (2016), Introduction, p. 12.
Concept Constellation
Across Ang’s work, Gradual Institutional Change consistently co-appears with the following concepts and analytic themes:
Adapt vs. Change
Variation, Selection & Niche Creation
Enabling Adaptation
Meta-Institutions
Institutional evolution