Path Dependence in Historical Sociology
Path dependence to some Sociologists is the theory that events that happened in past, have some or a lot of influence on events that happen in the future. However the Sociologist Mahoney has a different definition of path dependence. This theory suggests that "process, sequence, and temporality" have a valid reason for affecting path dependence and the meaning of past historical events. There are three path-dependent analyses with an explanation to how each theory works. "1) the study of causal processes that are especially sensitive, in a sequence, to early historical events, which are more important than later events; 2) these events are contingent occurrences that cannot be explained by prior events or initial conditions; and 3) that once contingent events take place, the path dependent sequence becomes a deterministic pattern."
Read more about this topic: Historical Sociology
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