This presentation has two parts. Initially, I will gather the major arguments (or variables) that can help us understand the persistency of variety in the contemporary world and develop a comprehensive picture that incorporates differentiation of economic landscapes. This will require selecting the following variables: time, space, institutions, political conflicts and agreements, refraction and national strategies. The exploration of these arguments will lead to a discussion of the concept of institutional based economic and political strategies. The central idea is that such strategies involve and depend on a collection of actors and mechanisms of economic coordination, with a specific role for public and private action... See separate PDF for full abstract.