ABSTRACT

Reform is often presented in the literature as something that is nearly impossible to accomplish. Three myths support this pervading idea are: the institutional structure of a policy sector will make reform impossible; path dependency, lock-in effects, and paradigm block any chances for reform. The second myth holds that a strong disruption such as a crisis is required for institutional patterns to break. The third myth necessitates a strong leader who can stand up to the people blocking reform, create alliances, and use every resource available to push for reform. The chapter discusses the institutional perspectives and reform literature in order to generate a list of barriers blocking reform and factors enabling reform. It compares these barriers and facilitators of reform with the events that led to reforms in various policy sectors in different countries. The knowledge collected through these case studies allow us to debunk the reform-myths and create a coherent overview of the factors that facilitate reform.