<P> Paul Pierson's influential attempt to rigorously formalize path dependence within political science, draws partly on ideas from economics . Herman Schwartz has questioned those efforts, arguing that forces analogous to those identified in the economic literature are not pervasive in the political realm, where the strategic exercise of power gives rise to, and transforms, institutions . </P> <P> The path - dependence of emergent strategy has been observed in behavioral experiments with individuals and groups . </P> <P> In the social sciences, especially sociology and organizational theory, a distinct yet closely related concept to path dependence is the concept of "imprinting", which captures how initial environmental conditions leave a persistent mark (or imprint) on organizations and organizational collectives (such as industries and communities), thus continuing to shape organizational behaviours and outcomes in the long run, even as external environmental conditions change . </P> <Ul> <Li> A general type of path dependence is a typological vestige . <Ul> <Li> In typography, for example, some customs persist, although the reason for their existence no longer applies; for example, the placement of the period inside a quotation in U.S. spelling . In metal type, pieces of terminal punctuation, such as the comma and period, are comparatively small and delicate (as they must be x-height for proper kerning .) Placing the full - height quotation mark on the outside protected the smaller cast metal sort from damage if the word needed to be moved around within or between lines . This would be done even if the period did not belong to the text being quoted . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Evolution is considered by some to be path - dependent: mutations occurring in the past have had long - term effects on current life forms, some of which may no longer be adaptive to current conditions . For instance, there is a controversy about whether the panda's thumb is a leftover trait or not . </Li> <Li> In the computer and software markets, legacy systems indicate path dependence: customers' needs in the present market often include the ability to read data or run programs from past generations of products . Thus, for instance, a customer may need not merely the best available word processor, but rather the best available word processor that can read Microsoft Word files . Such limitations in compatibility contribute to lock - in, and more subtly, to design compromises for independently developed products, if they attempt to be compatible . Also see embrace, extend and extinguish . </Li> </Ul>

What is the definition of a social path