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Theory‐independent measures of institutional change can be developed by identifying and tracking changes in institutional reproduction mechanisms. Such measures can then be used to assess the empirical validity of theoretical models of institutional change. This article performs an analysis of reproduction mechanisms in a case study of a Swedish institution for emission control during the period 1960–2000. The analysis reveals the existence of a highly path dependent institutional development, powerful enough to withstand a wide‐ranging institutional reform implemented in the late 1990s. The case study supports a gradualist model over a punctuated equilibrium model of institutional change, but the analysis also demonstrates the need for path dependency theory to pay greater attention to the question of how micro‐level institutional interaction generates aggregate patterns of change and stability.