Path Dependence, Culture and «Critical Junctures» in the Institutional History

Abstract

In the article, the path dependence is considered, first of all, as a cultural phenomenon. Culture is understood as a stable, reproducible image of an ideal social order in historical time. It is identified with informal institutions that underlie formal institutions. Culture, on the one hand, is the binding material of historical epochs, and on the other hand, for this reason, it can also act as an institutional trap - an obstacle to modernization. Public opinion polls and toponymy can serve as indicators of national cultural characteristics. In Russia, these include the clear prevalence of positive assessments of the role of Stalin over similar assessments of Gorbachev and the preservation of toponymy of the communist era. The concept of critical junctures can be used both to explain the mechanism for getting on and off the historical track. In the article, it is illustrated by the diverging paths of Lithuania and Belarus in the 20th century. As a result, it is concluded that getting out of path dependence is possible, but requires a rare combination of key events, and therefore is the exception rather than the rule.