Conclusions: navigating the twin challenges of reform endurance

In Chapter 6 I reflect first on the patterns and commonalities of reform endurance emerging across my suite of cases. In doing so, I consider how the architects and supporters of an already accepted reform meet the twin challenges of preservation and adaptiveness in their endeavour to make it stick. Considering the intersection of these two dimensions (preservation and adaptiveness) yields four possible ‘states’ of endurance, as well as the possibility of further mapping reforms continuously overtime. Using the insights generated across my multimethod approach, I return to the idea of endurance as contingent, conditional, and contested, providing further nuance into these descriptive labels. The final part of Chapter 6 interrogates the desirability of reform endurance by considering its connection with more nuanced understandings of performance and success. The chapter ends with a reflection on the approach I have taken in this book, as well as avenues to further advance the study of reform endurance.