| Summary: | 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.
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