Explaining institutional change ambiguity agency and power its introductory essay proposes a new framework for analyzing incremental change that is grounded in a power distributional view of institutions and that emphasizes ongoing struggles within but also over prevailing institutional arrangements explaining institutional change . Explaining institutional change ambiguity agency and power edited by james mahoney and kathleen thelen jennifer a widner princeton university search for more papers by this author explaining institutional change in three policy domains international review of administrative sciences 101177 0020852313517993 80 3 659 680 . Explaining institutional change ambiguity agency and power edited by james mahoney and kathleen thelen. Explaining institutional change ambiguity agency and power this book contributes to emerging debates in political science and soci ology on institutional change its introductory essay proposes a new framework for analyzing incremental change that is grounded in a power distributional view of institutions and that emphasizes ongoing