Locking a policy debate matters more than the policy’s measured effects.

Evidence

It may turn out that more or less path-dependent discourses are more important determinants of politics than the real effects of these politics. Under such circumstances, political changes may be strongly dependent on the particular ability of actors to unlock discourses through processes of ‘mindful deviation’ (Garud and Karnøe, 2001a) or external intervention (Ensminger, 1997; Cowan and Gunby, 1996). — Georg Schreyögg and Jörg Sydow, The Hidden Dynamics of Path Dependence, 1016

Categorization

• APHORISMS: Reads as durable counsel for anyone trying to change policy: fight for the frame, not just the evidence — change requires ‘mindful deviation,’ not better data.
• SEED: Angle: essay on ‘mindful deviation’ as a contrarian playbook for policy entrepreneurs locked out of a dominant discourse.