In 2009, Elinor Olstrom became – and remains – the only woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, awarded for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons. Ten years on, we revisit her groundbreaking book 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, yet solutions remain elusive. Offering a critique of the foundations of policy analysis as applied to natural resources, Dr Ostrom explores different ways of governing the commons, analysing both the prisoners’ dilemma and innovative use of game theory to provide alternatives to narrowly constructed models of rational choice.
The book demonstrates a pioneering vision for environmental protectionism, defending the vital role that voluntary organizations can play in solving social problems rather than a coercive state.

Participants
Denis Galligan, Emeritus Professor of Socio-Legal Studies and Director of Programmes, Foundation for Law, Justice and Society, Oxford
Dr Christopher Decker, Economist and Research Fellow, Faculty of Law, Oxford
Dr Kevin Grecksch, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford

Praise for Governing the Commons
“The most influential book in the last decade on thinking about the commons. For those involved with small communities … Governing the Commons has been the intellectual field guide.” – Whole Earth