Core Rules, Contracts, and Commons

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors develop the argument for why their theory suggests cooperation as a necessary overarching premise for competition. They propose a foundational idea space that is based on four essential ideas—the core principles—that then frame the hierarchy for the development of all other idea spaces. They motivate their discussion by using two key analogies that have practical relevance. First, they liken collective idea spaces to a broad swath of collective agreements, from knowledge commons to firms, and suggest how these parallel a variety of contractual agreements. Second, they develop the concept of an idea imbalance between idea spaces to discuss how variations in collective idea spaces emerge.