Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action

The legacy of ground-breaking economist Elinor Ostrom is brought to life in this approachable book.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 275 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2021
Publisher: Island Press

The prevailing environmental mindset during the 1970s held that overpopulation was relentlessly depleting the Earth's resources. Renowned economists and environmentalists widely concurred that the sole solution to halt this destructive trend was to impose restrictions on resource utilization, including land, water, and fish, either through free market mechanisms or government intervention. However, this notion was profoundly challenged by the groundbreaking work of Elinor Ostrom, whose tireless efforts to demonstrate that ordinary individuals could effectively manage and sustain their community resources ultimately led to her receipt of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009. Ostrom's revolutionary proposition fundamentally shifted the prevailing perspective on environmental governance, offering a profound alternative to the notion of relying solely on market forces or government regulations to safeguard shared resources.

In his book, The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, author Erik Nordman vividly portrays the brilliance of Ostrom's mind. Half a century ago, she faced rejection from doctoral programs solely due to her gender, yet in 2009, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. Her groundbreaking research directly confronted the long-standing dogma espoused by Garrett Hardin in his renowned 1968 essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons." This essay, based on the concept of scarcity and the assumption that individuals solely act in self-interest, posited that only market forces or government regulation could prevent the degradation of common pool resources.

Ostrom's research, however, shattered this notion by demonstrating that people possess the capacity and willingness to act in collective interest, driven by a sense of shared abundance rather than self-serving motives. Her insights on common resources have been applied globally, from the Maine lobster fisheries to ancient waterways in Spain and even taxicabs in Nairobi. Nordman, in his writing of The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, undertook extensive travels to interview community leaders and stakeholders who have pioneered innovative resource-sharing systems, some of which are relatively new, while others have withstood. Through the expression of Ostrom's ideas and research, Nordman also unveils the remarkable story of her life and career, highlighting the obstacles she overcame and the profound impact her work has had on the field of environmental governance.

Weight: 418g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781642831559