Discourse creates the switching costs that lock institutions into old policies.

Evidence

Linking the concept of discourse analysis with the framework of path dependence leads to the assumption that discourses and their constitutive character can be seen as explanations for self-reinforcing processes in politics because political discourses are always built on historically prior texts; thus, the past strongly influences future political actions. The fact that definitions and meanings structured by discourses tend to be taken for granted creates psychological and institutional switching costs for policymakers and administrations. — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence, 994

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names the mechanism by which meaning-as-taken-for-granted becomes a concrete cost — a useful bridge between discourse theory and lock-in.
• XREF: connects to: High setup costs and sunk investment make institutional arrangements self-stabilizing. — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 197