Two cheers for interpretivism: Deconstructing the british political tradition

Abstract

This article engages with Bevir and Rhodes' version of interpretivism from a critical realist perspective. It argues that they are misguided to equate path-dependency with path-determinancy. Instead, we argue that there are three path-dependencies, institutional, discursive and political-economic, which constrain without determining the actions of agents and thus effect political outcomes. The argument is illustrated through a brief consideration of the operation of the British Political Tradition.