Institutional Translation Theory: The Missing Middle of Structural Change

Why do similar levels of crisis, dissatisfaction, or innovation produce radically different outcomes across societies? Existing theories usually explain either the input or the outcome, but often leave unclear the structured pathway in between. This paper calls that missing stage the domain of institutional translation. It argues that structural transformation depends on whether heterodox inputs can become intelligible, legitimate, institutionally processable, materially sustainable, and ultimately entrenched. Comparing China, Japanization, the Soviet collapse, and the Arab Spring, the paper develops a branching account of change in which pressure alone is never enough: the same visible strain may be filtered into closure, partial reform, unstable opening, or divergent post-crisis trajectories. The result is a comparative framework that links variation and pressure to structural outcomes without reducing them to a single cause.