Paradigm

Written By Yuen Yuen Ang

Term

Paradigm

Definition

Paradigm, as used by Yuen Yuen Ang, is a system of thought grounded in core assumptions about the nature of societies that determines what questions are asked and what concepts, theories, and methods are created and used. In contrast to a theory (an answer to a particular question), a paradigm is a way of seeing and studying the social world—akin to an operating system, in which core assumptions function as the source code. A paradigm should not be conflated with a framework, which refers to a organizational checklist that does not redefine underlying assumptions. Ang’s AIM Political Economy is a paradigm, not a framework.

Illustration of a Paradigm’s Generative Logic

Paradigms are generative, meaning each core assumption produces downstream conceptual and practical consequences. Consider two core assumptions of the Industrial-Colonial Paradigm.

  • Mechanical assumption

    • Assumption: societies function like simple machines with a “right button.”

    • Consequence: researchers search for a single primary cause (institutions first vs. growth first), even when causality is multiple and endogenous.

  • Colonial / Western-centric assumption

    • Assumption: the West represents a universal benchmark.

    • Consequence: deviations from Western norms are treated as deficiencies rather than as differences, foreclosing alternative solutions and development pathways.

Sources

Node reference page:

  • Ang, Y.Y. (2025) “What is a Paradigm?”. Webpage on Ang’s official website. [Link]

Formal articulation of AIM and APE as paradigm:

Earlier articulation:

  • Ang, Yuen Yuen. How China Escaped the Poverty Trap (2016), Introduction (pp. 9–11).

Genealogy

[Paradigm] Industrial–Colonial Paradigm

→ [Pillar] Mechanical thinking (treating societies as machines)

→ [Concept] Complicated

→ [Concept] Control-oriented analysis

Contrast with

[Paradigm] AIM (Adaptive, Inclusive, Moral Political Economy)

→ [Pillar] Adaptive Political Economy (APE)

→ [Concept] Complex ≠ Complicated

→ [Concept] Uncertainty vs. Risk

→ [Concept] Influence vs. Control

→ [Model] Directed Improvisation

→ [Theory] Coevolutionary Development

→ [Method] Mapping Coevolution

→ [Application: Development] Tracing state-market coevolution over time across China, Europe, the U.S., and Nigeria

(Shows how paradigms generate a forest of concepts, models, and theories.)

Quotes

“I adopt a paradigm that is different from the one that we currently embrace. Our conventional paradigm (the way we view the world) assumes a complicated—rather than complex—reality… Yet social worlds are not complicated, but complex.” (p. 10)

“I hope to show that we can study political economies as complex systems in coherent and constructive ways… [doing so] compels us to revise the theories we build, the analytic methods we use, and the actions we take to improve human lives.” (p. 19)

— Ang, How China Escaped the Poverty Trap (2016)

“Adaptive political economy is not a new theory, but rather a new paradigm. A theory is an explanation or solution for a particular problem. A paradigm is a new way of seeing and studying the social world… Changing social paradigms is more difficult than paradigms in the natural science context because social systems are colored by power asymmetry and normative biases… Adaptive political economy, therefore, must incorporate an inclusive and moral dimension—making it, collectively, an adaptive, inclusive, and moral (aim) political economy—that honestly recognizes the inequities that have molded the way we think, see, and approach the world.”

— Ang, Adaptive Political Economy (2025)

“If the industrial-colonial paradigm underpinned a bygone era of mass industrialization and Western domination, AIM is the new paradigm I’m proposing for a disrupted, multipolar world. But what exactly is a ‘paradigm’? A paradigm is a system of thought based on certain core assumptions about the nature of societies. Peter Katzenstein applies the term ‘worldview’, defining it as ‘the unexamined, pre-theoretical foundations of the approaches with which we understand and navigate the world’. A paradigm determines what questions we ask, what methods we use, and what actions we take. For a simple analogy, think of it as the operating system on your computing devices. If you change the OS, all the apps must change with it.

A paradigm is more than a theory: an explanation for a particular problem. It certainly isn’t just a ‘framework’ (which can mean a list of points or a convoluted diagram that doesn’t explain anything).

As a paradigm, AIM is founded on three generative assumptions, each forming a pillar [Adaptive, Inclusive, Moral]… Importantly, these three pillars operate together as a system, like sunlight, water, and soil.

As summarized in Table 1, shifting our worldview from mechanical to adaptive changes how we understand multiple core dimensions: causality, indeterminacy, human agency, and institutional design.”

— Ang, AIM: Introduction & Applications (2026)

Concept Constellation

Across Ang’s work, paradigm consistently co-appears with the following concepts and analytic themes:

Yuen Yuen Ang https://www.yuenyuenang.org
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APE: Adaptive Political Economy