Divergent institutional trajectories under a common policy framework: a comparative study of two pastoral townships on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Pastoral regions in China have undergone profound transformations under state-led reforms and changing resource conditions. This study examines how similar policy frameworks generate divergent institutional trajectories in two neighboring pastoral townships on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Drawing on fieldwork and historical records, it analyzes adjustments to the household responsibility system in response to population shifts, the rising value of caterpillar fungus, and advances in land surveying technologies. The findings reveal contrasting patterns: one township experienced frequent institutional adjustments, while the other maintained long-term stability. This divergence is associated with differences in local governance, particularly the presence or absence of intermediary organizations between the state and pastoral households which can function as a bricolage. The study highlights how local governance mediates the interaction between state policy and resource dynamics, producing divergent trajectories in pastoral regions.