Cognitive and Institutional Determinants of Public Policy Changes: A Comparative Analysis of Brazil and Chile

This article aims to connect cognitive and institutional theories to explain how policies evolve. Because of the limits to the model proposed by cognitive theories, the article shows that this framework can be complemented with the model of institutional change proposed by historical institutionalism theories. Therefore, it centers on the dynamics of change beyond theories based on critical junctures or exogenous shocks, focusing on continuities rather than changes. The study is based on two policy change case studies—tax policy in Brazil, and environmental policies in Chile. We suggest a model that can explain gradual cognitive changes by proposing two different forms of policy change: ideational anchorage and cognitive layering. © 2020 Policy Studies Organization