An alternate ending to the tragedy of the commons

The tragedy of the commons is a false and dangerous myth | Aeon Essays

Far from being profoundly destructive, we humans have deep capacities for sharing resources with generosity and foresight

A Revised “Ostrom’s Design Principles for Collective Governance of the Commons

A Revised “Ostrom’s Design Principles for Collective Governance of the Commons” The traditional economic definition of “the commons” are those resources...

Elinor Ostrom’s 8 rules for managing the commons

The commons are those things that we all own together, that are neither privately owned, nor managed by the government on our behalf. Some are large scale and somewhat abstract, such as the English…

The Commons Explained in 15 Minutes | David Bollier

10 Design Principles for Governing the Commons

In 2009, Elinor Ostrom received the Nobel Prize in Economics for her “analysis of economic governance, especially the commons”.

10 Design Principles for Governing the Commons

In 2009, Elinor Ostrom received the Nobel Prize in Economics for her “analysis of economic governance, especially the commons”.

A Revised “Ostrom’s Design Principles for Collective...

A Revised “Ostrom’s Design Principles for Collective Governance of the Commons” The traditional economic definition of “the commons” are those resources...

The Commons, Short and Sweet | David Bollier

I am always trying to figure out how to explain the idea of the commons to newcomers who find it hard to grasp.  In preparation for a talk that I gave at the Caux Forum for Human Security, near Montreux, Switzerland, I came up with a fairly short overview, which I have copied below.  I think it gets to the nub of things.

Governing The Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action

The governance of natural resources used by many individuals in common is an issue of increasing concern to policy analysts. Both state control and privatization of resources have been advocated, but neither the state nor the market has been uniformly successful in solving common-pool resource problems. After critiquing the foundations of pol icy analysis as applied to natural resources, Elinor Ostrom here provides a unique body of empirical data to explore the conditions under which common-pool resource problems have been satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily solved.  Dr. Ostrom first describes three models most frequently used as the foundation for recommending state or market solutions. She then outlines theoretical and empirical alternatives to these models in order to illustrate the diversity of possible solutions. In the following chapters she uses institutional analysis to examine different ways - both successful and unsuccessful - of governing the commons. In contrast to the propositions of the " tragedy of the commons" argument. common-pool problems sometimes are solved by voluntary organizations rather than by a coercive state. Among the cases considered are communal tenure in meadows and forest, irrigation communities and other water rights. and fisheries. Governing the Commons makes a major contribution to the analytical literature on institutions and to our understanding of human cooperation.  Elinor Ostrom is co-director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis and professor of political science at Indiana University.

Re-enchanting the world : feminism and the politics of the commons

xviii, 227 pages ; 23 cm; "Silvia Federici is one of the most important contemporary theorists of capitalism and feminist movements. In this collection of her work spanning over twenty years, she provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor"--; Foreward by Peter Linebaugh; Includes bibliographical references (pages198-216) and index; On primitive accumulation, globalization, and reproduction -- Introduction to the new enclosures -- The debt crisis, Africa, and the new enclosures -- China: breaking the iron rice bowl -- From commoning to debt: financialization, microcredit, and the changing architecture of capital accumulation -- Beneath the United States, the Commons -- Commons against and beyond Capitalism -- The University: a knowledge common? -- Feminism and the politics of the commons in an era of primitive accumulation -- Women's struggles for land in Africa and the reconstruction of the commons -- Women's struggles for land and the common good in Latin America -- Marxism, feminism, and the commons -- From crisis to commons: reproductive work, affective labor and technology, and the transformation of everyday life -- Re-enchanting the world: technology, the body, and the construction of the commons

Deep Roots, Real Power: Candid Stories from the Field

The Commons is an online library for the change makers of the world and for those interested in social change, activism, organising, advocacy and justice.

Re-enchanting the world: feminism and the politics of the commons

Silvia Federici is one of the most important contempora…

Uncommon victories: Lessons from Warringah and Indi

The Commons is an online library for the change makers of the world and for those interested in social change, activism, organising, advocacy and justice.

Think Like a Commoner | A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons

In our age of predatory markets and make-believe democracy, our troubled political institutions have lost sight of real people and practical realities. But if you look to the edges, ordinary people are reinventing governance and provisioning on their own terms. The commons is arising as a serious, practical alternative to the corrupt Market/State.

How Commons can flourish

The following eight reference points are the result of intensive debates at the first German Sommerschool on the Commons, which took place in Bechstedt/Thuringia in June 2012. They aim to interpret…

Local Power: Shifting Power at the Local Level - Candidate School

The Commons is an online library for the change makers of the world and for those interested in social change, activism, organising, advocacy and justice.