Abstract Institutional reform processes can be contested. The more so by those working in the affected institutions. Bureaucracies, particular, resistant to change. To better understand such processes, we study regional Norway. This is interesting as it mixes “voluntary” and “forced” dynamics. Indeed, Norwegian regions ( fylkeskommuner ) remain unchanged, merge voluntarily, or forced central go...

On the basis of elaborating the process of institutional change of Chinese agricultural land and by reference to the State Theory of North, the article analyzes constituent functions for institutional activities by the state for its realization of maximization of utility and further the role of the state in the process of institutional change of Chinese agricultural land.

Institutional innovation has been the core problem of the new institutionalism economics. Following North D. C. (1981, 1990)’s pioneer contributions, many scholars go along the direction pointed by North. Current research mainly concerns the following aspects: 1) The mechanism of institutional changes (for example, Davis and North,1975, cf. North, 1981); 2) The way of institutional changes (Art...

This article addresses the problem of how change and innovation can create a fuller voice for ecological interests in organizations and public policy, raising issues about change mechanisms at the institutional versus organizational level. First, it suggests that the newer, systems-based and inclusive approaches to organizational development practice and theory may overcome shortcomings of earl...