Why We Should Use the Gini Coefficient to Assess Punctuated Equilibrium Theory

The Gini Coefficient ◽

Precise Measure

Abstract Punctuated Equilibrium Theory posits that policy-making is generally characterized by long periods of stability that are interrupted by short periods of fundamental policy change. The literature converged on the measure of kurtosis and L-kurtosis to assess these change patterns. In this letter, we critically discuss these measures and propose the Gini coefficient as a (1) comparable, but (2) more intuitive, and (3) more precise measure of “punctuated” change patterns.

The punctuated equilibrium theory of agenda-setting and policy change

Routledge Handbook of Public Policy ◽

10.4324/9780203097571-19 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 156-170

Keyword(s):

Policy Change ◽

Agenda Setting ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Systemic Dynamics of Policy Change: Overcoming Some Blind Spots of Punctuated Equilibrium Theory

Policy Studies Journal ◽

10.1111/psj.12379 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Xavier Fernández‐i‐Marín ◽

Steffen Hurka ◽

Christoph Knill ◽

Yves Steinebach

Keyword(s):

Policy Change ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Blind Spots

Reconciling Incrementalism with Policy Change. The Punctuated Equilibrium Theory in Political Science

Athenaeum Polskie Studia Politologiczne ◽

10.15804/athena.2015.48.03 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 37-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tomasz Czapiewski ◽

Keyword(s):

Political Science ◽

Policy Change ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

The punctuated equilibrium theory of agenda-setting and policy change

Routledge Handbook of Public Policy ◽

10.4324/9780203097571.ch11 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Graeme Boushey

Keyword(s):

Policy Change ◽

Agenda Setting ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory

Theories of the Policy Process ◽

10.4324/9780367274689-6 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 155-187

Author(s):

James L. True ◽

Bryan D. Jones ◽

Frank R. Baumgartner

Keyword(s):

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and Time: A Case Study in Problems of Coherence in the Measurement of Geological Time (The ‘KBS’ Tuff Controversy and the Dating of Rocks in the Turkana Basin, Kenya)

Measurement, Realism and Objectivity ◽

10.1007/978-94-009-3919-6_4 ◽

1987 ◽

pp. 89-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David R. Oldroyd

Keyword(s):

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Geological Time ◽

Turkana Basin

Corrective policy reactions: positive and negative budgetary punctuations

Journal of Public Policy ◽

10.1017/s0143814x18000259 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 96-115

Author(s):

Carla M. Flink ◽

Scott E. Robinson

Keyword(s):

School Districts ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Punctuated Equilibrium ◽

Equilibrium Theory ◽

Texas School Districts ◽

Over Time

AbstractPunctuated equilibrium theory seeks to explain policy volatility and stability in government attention. In previous research into the temporal dynamics of punctuations, scholars found that punctuations occur in clusters – a recent budgetary punctuation increases the likelihood of a subsequent punctuation. This article examines the direction, positive or negative, of budgetary punctuations over time. Are budgetary punctuations corrective, grouping positive and negative changes? Or, do budgetary punctuations occur in cumulative trends of positive or negative changes? These questions address the heart of the theoretical metaphor for punctuated equilibrium. In an analysis of over 1,000 Texas school districts for nearly a 20-year-period, results support the notion of reactive patterns of budgetary punctuations – positive and negative budgetary punctuations pair up at a rate much higher than expected by chance. The findings demonstrate that even though it is likely to see consecutive positive and negative punctuations, they are not always fully corrective.