Measuring congruence requires coding defended status quos alongside enacted reforms

Evidence

Crucially for our analysis, we distinguish between policy proposals that represent change and policy proposals that represent support of the status quo. For policy proposals that are not yet implemented, we code whether the proposed change occurs. For existing policies, we code whether the status quo is maintained or not. This coding captures both successful reform efforts and instances where existing policies are successfully defended. — Mikael Persson and Anders Sundell, Blocking the Poor, 50

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies that ‘congruence’ is not just reform success but also successful defense of existing policy.
• QUESTION: Symmetry between reform and defense seems central to the paper’s whole argument — worth chasing how it changes the results.