Institutional Layering: A Review of the Use of the Concept

Abstract

Over the years layering has gained increasing attention in studies of institutional change. Notably, the concept has been subject to the exact mechanism it tries to explain: incremental change. This article reviews the use of the concept over a 60-year time span in order to elucidate its value for studying institutional change. The article especially looks at the use of the concept by one of the leading authors in the field: Kathleen Thelen. It concludes that layering provides a bridge between - seemingly conflicting - ideas on incremental change and punctuated equilibrium.