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# A theory of political divergence and gradual institutional change

## Details

**Authors** Yang

**Year** 2026

**Publisher** American Journal of Political Science

**Discipline** Political Science

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.70084) 
10.1111/ajps.70084

## In authors' words

### What they found (results)

A formal model in which rulers, elites, and commoners form shifting strategic coalitions shows that small variations in accumulated redistributive choices produce divergent long-run institutional paths, a claim substantiated with historical cases from medieval Europe, imperial China, and the medieval Muslim world.

## Commentary

### In short

Institutions and social structures are modeled as a system whose long-run trajectory is produced by shifting relationships (coalitions) among its parts (rulers, elites, commoners), so small differences in those relationships compound into large structural divergence.

**Patterns it shows** S, R

**Added** 2026-08-23

**How to cite this** Yang (2026). A theory of political divergence and gradual institutional change. American Journal of Political Science.