Abstract
Ostrom’s design principles for managing common pool resources were developed largely by examining local commons involving natural resources. This paper enumerates several key characteristics that distinguish such commons from more complex commons involving global resources and the risks of emerging technologies. It considers the degree to which the design principles transfer to those commons and concludes that although they have considerable external validity, the list needs some modification and elaboration to apply to global resources and risk commons. A list of design principles is offered for global resource commons and the risks of emerging technologies. Applying Ostrom’s approach to global resources and emerging technologies can improve understanding and expand the solution set for these problems from international treaties, top-down national regulation, and interventions in market pricing systems to include non-governmental institutions that embody principles of self-governance.
Highlights
Garrett Hardin’s paper, “The Tragedy of the Commons” (1968), challenged, scared, or inspired a generation of people concerned with the integrity of Earth’s natural environments
It considers the degree to which the design principles transfer to those commons and concludes that they have considerable external validity, the list needs some modification and elaboration to apply to global resources and risk commons
This paper examines questions of external validity: How well do these principles apply to global resources and common-pool hazards from emerging technologies? What modifications are needed to generate a set of design principles for these commons? It concludes that governance of both global resources and emerging technologies can be studied and understood from a commons perspective and that a set of design principles can be defined for these commons that extend and elaborate Ostrom’s original design principles
Summary
Garrett Hardin’s paper, “The Tragedy of the Commons” (1968), challenged, scared, or inspired a generation of people concerned with the integrity of Earth’s natural environments It appeared at a time when environmental concerns were broadening from local issues to global ones – a time when other major environmental works, such as The Population Bomb (Ehrlich 1968) and The Limits to Growth (Meadows et al 1972) were getting very serious attention and discussion in policy and academic circles. These works became touchstones for the modern environmental movement They inspired a generation of environmental regulations, by which central governments sought to “command and control” human appetites; a generation of policies based on the use of financial incentives to curb the same appetites in ways that sought to be more efficient; and a generation of moral appeals to the “better” parts of human nature. This paper examines questions of external validity: How well do these principles apply to global resources and common-pool hazards from emerging technologies? What modifications are needed to generate a set of design principles for these commons? It concludes that governance of both global resources and emerging technologies can be studied and understood from a commons perspective and that a set of design principles can be defined for these commons that extend and elaborate Ostrom’s original design principles
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
