The book "Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency and Power" by James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen explores how institutions change over time, emphasizing the roles of ambiguity, agency, and power. The authors argue that institutional change is often gradual and continuous, rather than sudden and disruptive. They propose that institutions have three key elements that drive change: ambiguity in rules, agents who exploit this ambiguity, and competition among these agents. The nature of change depends on three factors: the political context, the characteristics of the institution, and the type of dominant agent. The book presents four modes of gradual change: displacement, addition, conversion, and drift. It also discusses the types of agents involved in change and their impact on institutions. The book includes various case studies, such as the Brazilian public health system and the Kenyan land documentation system, illustrating how institutions can evolve through small, incremental changes. It also examines the American social security system, showing how it survives through conflict and compromise among different actors. The book highlights the potential contradictions within institutions, where their success can also lead to their downfall. It also discusses the ambiguity in institutions, using the case of Indonesia's authoritarian regime to show how institutions can be designed and executed differently. The book concludes by emphasizing the importance of historical institutionalism in understanding the complexity of institutional change, and it responds to the call by Elinor Ostrom for a more realistic study of institutions. The book provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of institutional change, emphasizing the interplay of ambiguity, agency, and power.The book "Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency and Power" by James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen explores how institutions change over time, emphasizing the roles of ambiguity, agency, and power. The authors argue that institutional change is often gradual and continuous, rather than sudden and disruptive. They propose that institutions have three key elements that drive change: ambiguity in rules, agents who exploit this ambiguity, and competition among these agents. The nature of change depends on three factors: the political context, the characteristics of the institution, and the type of dominant agent. The book presents four modes of gradual change: displacement, addition, conversion, and drift. It also discusses the types of agents involved in change and their impact on institutions. The book includes various case studies, such as the Brazilian public health system and the Kenyan land documentation system, illustrating how institutions can evolve through small, incremental changes. It also examines the American social security system, showing how it survives through conflict and compromise among different actors. The book highlights the potential contradictions within institutions, where their success can also lead to their downfall. It also discusses the ambiguity in institutions, using the case of Indonesia's authoritarian regime to show how institutions can be designed and executed differently. The book concludes by emphasizing the importance of historical institutionalism in understanding the complexity of institutional change, and it responds to the call by Elinor Ostrom for a more realistic study of institutions. The book provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of institutional change, emphasizing the interplay of ambiguity, agency, and power.