Two Cheers for Interpretivism: Deconstructing the British Political Tradition

This article engages with Bevir and Rhodes' version of interpretivism from a critical realist perspective. It argues that they are misguided to equate path‐dependency with path‐determinancy. Instead, we argue that there are three path‐dependencies, institutional, discursive and political‐economic, which constrain without determining the actions of agents and thus effect political outcomes. The argument is illustrated through a brief consideration of the operation of the British Political Tradition.     

Understanding democratic governance: practical trends and theoretical puzzles

In line with the major philosophical (epistemological) transition in the social sciences from developmental historicism to modernist social science, there have been significant intellectual shifts in academic fields related to politics, state, and administration. More specifically, based on the modernist social science foundation, there has emerged the so-called ‘new governance’ encapsulating diverse neoliberal labels, theories, and models—including reinvention, new public management, networked governance, rational choice, and new institutionalism—which have serious adverse implications for democracy. These are some of the central arguments and claims made by Mark Bevir in his Democratic Governance. This article critically examines these claims and offers alternative viewpoints, especially regarding the controversial nexus between epistemology, theory, governance, and democracy.