Political Analysis (2012) 20:137−145 doi:10.1093/pan/mpr052 Symposium on Models of Path Dependence

The symposium develops statistical models and methods for the study of path dependence. In this intro-ductory essay, the connections between key areas in the path dependence and statistical literatures are illuminated. And some ways in which familiar time series and regression models embody these ideas are explained. The arguments in the articles in the symposium then are summarized and compared. Finally, directions for additional, statistically grounded research on path dependence are discussed.