To build a new Jezrusalem: an historical institutionalist analysis of the origins of the Corbyn era in the Labour party

Abstract

Now that Corbynism has passed, an institutional explanation for his sudden control of the British Labour party allows for a richer understanding of the process by which his leadership came about. In particular, this analysis develops on the established institutional theory ideas of reactivation, invasion and veto players and adds to these the role of “veto complacency”. These theoretical mechanisms are key to understanding why the British Labour party changed so radically after its 2015 electoral defeat, and why it is suspect to argue that its then leader, Jeremy Corbyn, represented merely a return to the past, as some have suggested. The ideas of the Corbyn movement can be understood as having been a contemporary adaptation of socialism, namely “new socialism”. This case study highlights the usefulness of applying institutional theory mechanisms to explanations of party change and seeks to expand on current dominant theories of institutional change that appear less capable of explaining sudden radical endogenous change—as exhibited here by the British Labour party.