Elinor Ostrom on the Myth of the Tragedy of the Commons

Mutualism likely stands to benefit greatly from Elinor Ostrom’s years of observational work, because equitable-economies are, in our opinion, best realized alongside polycentric commons arrangements. Ostrom’s findings demonstrate the practicality of bottom-up, common pool recourse management strategies that defy conventional economic logic. Ostrom used to quip that “any resource arrangement that works in practice can work in theory”, so how might her work improve mutualist theory and help us move toward a freer world?

If you are interested in learning more about the first woman to ever win a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, consider starting with the short video interview linked above where Ostrom briefly touches on The Myth of the Tragedy of the Commons.

You can also check out the following resources.

Ostrom’s Website - https://www.elinorostrom.com/

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom

The Nobel Prize - https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/ostrom/facts/