[2] The theory posits that most social systems exist in an extended period of stasis, which may be punctuated by sudden shifts leading to radical change.
The punctuated equilibrium model of policy change was first presented by Frank Baumgartner and Bryan Jones in 1993,[1] and has increasingly received attention in historical institutionalism.
[3] The model states that policy generally changes only incrementally due to several restraints, namely the "stickiness" of institutional cultures, vested interests, and the bounded rationality of individual decision-makers.
[9] Connie Gersick's research on the evolution of organizational systems (1988, 1991) revealed patterns of change mirroring those in biological species.
"[11] At the same time, social scientific applications of the punctuated equilibrium concept have been criticized for losing sight of a core idea in the original biological theory of punctuated equilibrium: the notion that geographic location plays a significant role in determining which populations are subject to abrupt changes at a given time.