Veto players, path dependency, and reform of public aid policy toward private schools: Australia, New Zealand, and the United States

Two main weaknesses of the new institutionalism literature, one associated with veto player theories and the other with path dependency theories, help account for the framework's inadequacy in theorizing change, especially radical change. A comparison of the divergent development of public aid to private schools in three countries - Australia, New Zealand, and the United States - demonstrates the importance of two factors that potentially mitigate the status quo-preserving effect of veto points and path dependency: the multifaceted nature of veto points and the political clout of status quo challengers. Even in what initially appear to be highly constrained institutional systems, significant reform can occur, at either a rapid or slow pace.