Institutional plasticity and path dependence in seaports: interactions between institutions, port governance reforms and port authority routines

This paper deals with path dependence in seaport governance. A central notion in this respect is lock-in. Economic geographers have recently started to reconsider the deterministic perspective on lock-in and developed the concept of institutional plasticity. Such plasticity is the result of actions of actors to purposefully ‘recombine and convert or reinterpret institutions for their new objectives or transfer institutions to different contexts’ (Strambach, 2010). This concept is applied to seaports, where so far, path dependence and lock-in have not been studied in detail. Our main conclusion is that a process of institutional stretching takes place when port authorities see a need to develop new capabilities and activities. In this process new layers are added to existing arrangements, gradually leading to a formalised governance reform but without breaking out of the existing path of development.

► Path dependence and lock-in play a role in port reform processes.
► The institutional environment is not always conducive to a path towards de-territorialised routines of port authorities.
► The concept of institutional plasticity is applied to the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.
► A process of institutional stretching leads to a formalised governance reform but without breaking out of the existing path.