Contrarian: Elinor Ostrom
Commons don't have to be tragedies.
You'll find context for this post, which is part of a short series, here.
I'm constantly amazed at how well we've flushed the word "Commons" (which I always capitalize, out of respect) from our collective memories. Now and then in talks I will ask people to define Commons, or offer an example, which usually leads to an awkward silence. After that pause, somebody shouts "forests!" and somebody else says "clean water!" Then we're off to the races.
Unfortunately, this 1968 paper seems to have eaten our brains. In part because of this "Tragedy of the Commons" meme, the default setting in our heads is now that Commons are practically impossible. So we don't think about them as solutions to some of our problems, when in fact, Commons are the way to go.
Well-stewarded Commons create abundance. Setting boundaries, limits and sanctions gives lobsters, deer, and other critters time to reproduce. Perhaps more interestingly in these modern times, data Commons such as the Wikipedia and other open content can help us make better sense of the world together.
High-functioning Commons involving humans don't spring forth naturally and easily: they take work and design insights, which is where Eleanor Ostrom's life work comes in. She focused on governance models for Commons, collecting, analyzing, and codifying what works, and then studying examples in the field. This work earned her the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009, despite not being an economist.
Here's how I described her work at U22:
You can explore the 8 Design Principles for Robust Long-Enduring Commons here, or see Christopher Allen's edited and extended list here.
Next up: Contrarian John Taylor Gatto.
As you'll see in this short series, Contrarians are masters of rethinking constraints. They are also the foundations of Design from Trust.
If you read this far, a treat: In my online Brain, you'll find all my Contrarians here, where you can see them in their greater context.
#commons, #governance, #designfromtrust , #abundance
This article is cross-posted on Substack here, Medium here and LinkedIn here. It's also here in my Brain.