^aManchester Business School, Booth Street West, Manchester M15 6PB, UK. E-mail: ian.greener@mbs.ac.uk

Abstract

Path dependence is a term now widely used in political science, but often in an unclear and unsystematic way. This paper suggests that its combination with the realist approach of Archer can clarify its use considerably, and it demonstrates this through an analysis of the development of the National Health Service showing that its structural and cultural legacy are extremely significant in understanding the potential success or failure of health reform under New Labour.