Institutional change and forest management : the case of Tlalmanalco, Mexico

This study examines institutional change in forest management in Tlalmanalco, Mexico, over the period 1877--1999 based on qualitative methods. The level of analysis is the domain of forest management, a level of analysis intermediary between macro/national policy and micro/local organizations and groups. I examine the domain composed of local organizations stakeholders in forest management in Tlalmanalco.The dual research methods include (1) a contextualist approach revealing long institutional cycles over the long run (1877--1996) while (2) grounded theory procedures reveal micro-processus of institutional change in the transition period 1996--1999.At the macro level, I have identified three institutional cycles of forest management: (1) the entrepreneur elite cycle (1877--1910); (2) the community-based management (1910--1940); and (3) the centralized industrial cycle (1940--1991). Each institutional cycle represents a management template which includes: (1) a management philosophy, (2) a dominant organizational template, (3) a configuration of interorganizational relations, (4) included groups, (5) excluded groups and (6) blind spots.At the micro-institutional level, the detailed study of the change process (1996--1999) in forest management reveals that two forms of interorganizational collaborations co-exist in the current domain. First, transformational collaboration is a form of open participation coordinated around charismatic leadership, and based on shared values. It aims to build a collective vision for the future of forest management. Second, transactional collaboration is a form of participation restricted to specific tasks, coordinated by the exchange of material and expertise resources.The contributions of this ideographic study highlight two themes neglected so far by previous research on institutional change. First, this study shows the links between policies formulated at the macro/national level and their implications at the micro/local level. Second, it explores the process of institutional change between two long term institutional cycles