Abstract
This introductory chapter gives an overview of how different versions of new institutionalism explain institutional change and continuity, and argues that traditional explanations have largely neglected the role of political agency with limiting effects on their explanatory power. It is argued that we need to pay more attention to the political nature of institutions and agency. In relation to this, the phenomenon of institutional subversion is presented and conceptualized. It is argued that subversive action is a neglected micro-mechanism that needs to be theorized in relation to other mechanisms of human action in furthering our knowledge on the micro-foundation of institutions. The purpose of this book is to theorize on how subversive action can contribute to a more elaborated understanding of institutional change and stability.
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Olsson, J. (2016). Introduction. In: Subversion in Institutional Change and Stability . Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94922-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94922-9_1
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