“Path dependence is a concept in the social sciences, referring to processes where past events or decisions constrain later events or decisions.
In common usage, the phrase can imply two types of claims. The first is the broad concept that “history matters”, often articulated to challenge explanations that pay insufficient attention to historical factors.
This claim can be formulated simply as “the future development of an economic system is affected by the path it has traced out in the past” or “particular events in the past can have crucial effects in the future.”
The second is a more specific claim about how past events or decisions affect future events or decisions in significant or disproportionate ways, through mechanisms such as increasing returns, positive feedback effects, or other mechanisms.”
Path dependencies can become perverted, maladaptive.