The claim
Institutional lock-in is a useful hypothesis when a pattern survives leadership changes, criticism, and obvious alternatives.
The evidence
Compare the original decision, later investments, beneficiaries, dependencies, and the cost of changing course.
The missing link
The missing link is proving the mechanism of persistence rather than treating persistence itself as proof of a hidden plan.
The verdict
A strong investigation names the lock-in mechanism and the correction test: what would have to change for the system to move?