On 9 October this year, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel more popularly known as the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Prof Claudia Goldin of Harvard University for her research on women in the labour market. She studies the changing role of working women through the centuries, and the causes of the persistent pay gap between men and women. Prof Goldin is the third woman to receive the prize after Elinor Ostrom in 2009 and Esther Dufflo in 2019 after the award was instituted in 1969.
I’m currently a Visiting Scholar at the Ostrom Workshop set up in 1973 in Indiana University in Bloomington in US and renamed as the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis in 2012 after Elinor Ostrom and her husband Professor Vincent Ostrom. On the 40th day of my presence in the Workshop, the news of another women being awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics brought joy to all the scholars present here. For me, too it has been a great learning experience as I delve everyday into the theories of Commons and contextualise in the realm of cyberspace as I research for my project, Many other scholars work on the same theories applicability in environment, space and other common pool resources as has been researched here for the last 50 years of the Workshop’s existence.
While there will be a lot of stories written about Prof Goldin in the next few days, I would like to write on my understanding of Prof Elinor Ostrom who was a renowned political economist and made significant contributions to understanding how communities can effectively manage common pool resources. Her work challenged the conventional belief that centralised government regulation or privatisation were the only solutions to resource management problems. Many issues of north eastern part of India find a common resonance as per my understanding while reading more and more of Prof Ostrom’s research. She has offered a set of key principles that are crucial for successful and sustainable governance of common pool resources. These principles continue to have a profound impact on various fields, such as environmental studies, economics, and political science.
Some of these key pertinent principles can be classified broadly as Prof Ostrom laid out –
1. Common pool resource governance: Prof Ostrom’s work emphasized the importance of local communities having the power and authority to manage and govern their shared resources. Instead of relying solely on external authorities, Prof Ostrom argued that self-organized and self-governed systems could effectively address resource management challenges. She showed that when local users have a direct stake in the resource, they are more likely to develop rules and institutions that are tailored to their specific social and ecological contexts.
2. Polycentric governance: Prof Ostrom emphasized the need for multiple levels of decision-making and governance structures to address the complexity of resource management issues. She argued that successful resource governance requires the incorporation of both local and higher-level institutions. This approach allows for flexibility, adaptability, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives and knowledge in decision-making processes.
3. Collective action and cooperation: Prof Ostrom’s research highlighted the significance of collective action and cooperation among resource users. She proposed that effective governance involves establishing clear and enforceable rules, promoting trust and social capital, and encouraging participation and collaboration among community members. By fostering cooperation, communities can overcome the collective action problem and prevent the tragedy of the commons.
4. Adaptive management and learning: Prof Ostrom emphasized the importance of adaptive management and learning in resource governance. She argued that governing systems should be flexible and able to adjust their rules and practices based on new information and changing circumstances. By continuously learning from feedback and experimenting with different approaches, communities can improve their resource management strategies over time.
5. Local knowledge and context: Prof Ostrom recognized the value of local knowledge and context in resource management. She emphasized the importance of incorporating traditional and indigenous knowledge systems into governance mechanisms. Local knowledge holders often possess valuable insights into the functioning of ecosystems and sustainable resource use. By integrating local knowledge with scientific knowledge, communities can develop more holistic and effective governance systems.
Ostrom’s principles have found numerous real-world applications in various contexts. Here are some examples:
1. Fisheries management: Ostrom’s principles have been applied to fisheries management around the world. Instead of relying solely on centralized regulations or privatization, her principles emphasize the importance of involving local fishers in decision-making processes, establishing clear rules, and promoting cooperation. This approach has led to successful cases of sustainable fisheries management, such as the lobster fisheries in Maine, USA.
2. Irrigation systems: Ostrom’s principles have been applied to the governance of irrigation systems in Nepal and India. In these contexts, local communities have successfully managed water resources, coordinated water allocation, and maintained irrigation infrastructure through collective action and self-governance.
3. Forest and common land management: Ostrom’s principles have been used to guide community-based forest management initiatives. By involving local communities in decision-making processes, promoting cooperation among forest users, and recognizing the importance of traditional knowledge, these initiatives have shown promising results in terms of sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.
4. Water resource management: Ostrom’s principles have also been applied to water resource management, particularly in the context of shared water bodies and watersheds. By encouraging collaboration among different stakeholders, developing participatory governance mechanisms, and promoting adaptive management, communities have been able to address conflicts, ensure equitable water distribution, and sustainably manage water resources.
5. Urban commons: Ostrom’s principles have been explored in the context of urban commons, such as community gardens, parks, and shared spaces. By empowering local communities to govern these resources, ensuring participation, and establishing clear rules, urban commons have thrived and provided benefits in terms of social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and improved quality of life.
These examples are indicative of how Ostrom’s principles have been applied in real-world scenarios. They make so much of relevance for the north eastern region where community involvement still remains strong but fail to make an impact because the devolument of power and implementation of projects remains more with governments and less to the communities. Innovative approaches to resource governance, empowering local communities, and finding sustainable solutions to common pool resource challenges are key for optimal usage of resources and their management in the fragile resources of the region.
Overall, the impact of Elinor Ostrom’s work on resource management and governance cannot be overstated. Her research has challenged the prevailing assumptions about top-down regulation and shown that successful resource governance can emerge from the bottom-up, through collective action, cooperation, and polycentric institutions. Her principles continue to guide research, policy, and practice aimed at addressing global challenges related to common pool resources.
As cyberspace and the internet ecosystems gather more connotations of commons, it is crucial to also find solutions to its management from a community perspectives. My research attempts to get into these perspectives. Further as gender issues also remain skewed in cyberspace, it would be an interest area to explore how Ostrom’s principles could also be applied to find an optimal solution to what Prof Goldin has found out in her research and coveted the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. Respect to the two lady Nobel laureates.
