Addressing path dependency in the capabilities approach: historicism and foresight meet on the 'road less travelled'

Abstract

This chapter challenges the commonly held notion in the capabilities approach, arising out of an overemphasis on path dependency, that capability development follows a single path-dependent route, which is determined positively by interrelatedness among existing technologies. It queries the fascination especially within the empirical literature with examining a single, successful choice. The chapter argues, like Penrose (1959) and Hamel and Prahalad (1994), that a firm seldom considers only one strategic capability development route. Often, a route is chosen from a bounded option set, anchored by the ‘do-nothing’ default. This is supported by empirical case evidence, which also suggests that, in some instances, technological interrelatedness is not a major factor influencing the development of capabilities from the available options.