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Summary

The video discusses the groundbreaking work of Elinor Ostrom, who became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2009. Ostrom's research challenged conventional theories by demonstrating that communities can effectively manage shared resources through collaboration rather than strict government or private control. Her fieldwork, spanning decades and various global systems, led to the theory that people can sustainably manage common resources when allowed to set their own rules. Ostrom's ideas have influenced multiple fields, including environmental sustainability, conflict resolution, and digital commons.

Takeaways

• 📚 Elinor Ostrom won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2009 for her groundbreaking work on common-pool resources.
• 😄 She had a lively personality, often laughing during complex lectures, showing her passion for her research.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Her research, starting in the 1960s with her husband, found that less rigidly controlled, smaller organizations were more efficient.
• 🚓 Ostrom and her team conducted a 15-year study in cities like New York and Indianapolis, working with police to observe organizational effectiveness.
• 🌍 Over 20 years, Ostrom traveled worldwide, studying successful collaborative systems, including fisheries in Japan, irrigation systems in Nepal, and drought management in the U.S.
• 📖 Her 1997 book articulated the theory that local communities could sustainably manage shared resources without state or private control by setting their own rules and sanctions.
• 🚫 Ostrom’s theory challenged the 'tragedy of the commons,' which argued that strong government or private intervention was necessary to prevent resource depletion.
• 🤝 She demonstrated that people could cooperate and manage resources for long-term sustainability without external enforcement, motivated by mutual benefits.
• 🔬 Her research has been applied in fields such as global fisheries management and digital commons like Wikipedia, offering a model for collaborative governance.
• 🌿 Institutions like the Stockholm Resilience Centre continue to build on her work, exploring whether small-scale cooperation models can be applied to global environmental issues.

Q & A

Who is Elinor Ostrom, and what is she known for?

Elinor Ostrom was a political economist who became the first woman to be awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2009. She is known for her groundbreaking work on how people can collectively manage common resources, challenging the dominant theory of 'the tragedy of the commons.'

What was Ostrom’s main contribution to economic and political theory?

Ostrom's main contribution was demonstrating that local communities can successfully manage shared resources without the need for state or corporate control. She proposed that people can set up their own rules and sanctions to sustainably manage resources like lakes, forests, or fisheries.

What was the traditional belief that Ostrom's research challenged?

Ostrom challenged the widely accepted 'tragedy of the commons' theory, which held that individuals would inevitably overuse and deplete shared resources unless there was strong state regulation or privatization.

How did Ostrom conduct her research?

Ostrom and her team conducted extensive field studies for over 20 years, traveling to various parts of the world, including Japan, Nepal, Switzerland, and the U.S. They studied how communities managed common resources like fisheries, irrigation systems, and grazing lands.

What did Ostrom’s research reveal about human behavior in managing resources?

Ostrom found that people can collaborate effectively to manage common resources sustainably. Her studies showed that, contrary to traditional economic assumptions, individuals do not always act in their own short-term interests but recognize the long-term benefits of cooperation.

What is an example of Ostrom's theories being applied in real life?

One example is the global fishery management initiative, where top executives from major fishing companies met in Stockholm to agree on sustainable fishing practices. This initiative was inspired by Ostrom's theories about collective decision-making and cooperation.

How does Ostrom’s theory apply to digital communities?

Ostrom's theory is relevant to digital commons like Wikipedia and the sharing economy, where groups collaboratively manage shared resources or platforms. Her work helps explain how decentralized systems can function without hierarchical control.

How does Ostrom's research connect to peace and conflict studies?

Ostrom’s theories are being tested in peace and conflict research, particularly in areas where conflicts arise over scarce resources like water and food. Her work offers insights into how cooperation can help manage and prevent resource-based conflicts.

What role did empirical observation play in Ostrom's work?

Empirical observation was central to Ostrom's work. Her theories were built on real-world studies of how local communities managed resources effectively, which allowed her to develop a nuanced understanding of collective governance.

Why is Ostrom’s theory considered revolutionary in her field?

Ostrom’s theory was revolutionary because it provided an alternative to the dominant economic view of resource management, emphasizing decentralized, community-driven approaches rather than top-down regulation or privatization.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Elinor Ostrom's Revolutionary Work on Collective Resource Management

This paragraph introduces Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to receive the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel, and her groundbreaking research on how communities can sustainably manage common resources. Through her work with her husband, Ostrom's studies revealed that smaller, less-regulated organizations were more efficient than those under strict control. Her theories emerged from years of fieldwork, including a notable 15-year study with police in New York and Indianapolis, highlighting that communities can self-regulate without needing heavy-handed state or economic interventions.

05:01

🌍 Global Insights from Ostrom's Field Studies on Resource Management

Ostrom's research extended globally, with her examining cooperative management of resources in regions like Japan, Nepal, Switzerland, and the USA. Through these field studies, Ostrom developed a theory that communities relying on shared resources could successfully manage them if they had the opportunity to create their own rules and enforce sanctions. Her research challenged the prevailing 1960s theory of 'The Tragedy of the Commons,' which claimed people would deplete shared resources without external control. Instead, Ostrom showed that sustainable cooperation was possible when people had face-to-face interactions and shared a long-term vision for resource preservation.

Keywords

💡Allmänningar

Allmänningar refers to commons or shared resources that multiple people have access to and use. In the video, it is a central theme in Elinor Ostrom's research, focusing on how people manage shared resources such as fisheries, irrigation systems, and pastures. The theory addresses how communities can sustainably govern these resources without the need for state or private control.

💡Teorin om allmänningens tragedi

The 'Tragedy of the Commons' theory suggests that individuals, acting out of self-interest, will overuse and deplete a shared resource. The video explains how this was the prevailing theory before Elinor Ostrom challenged it. Ostrom's work showed that communities could manage common resources sustainably through collaboration and self-regulation, without necessarily relying on external authorities.

💡Samarbete

Samarbete, or cooperation, is a key concept in Ostrom's work. Her research demonstrated that individuals and groups can work together to manage common resources effectively, contrary to the assumption that they would act selfishly. The video highlights how this insight applies not only to local communities but also to global industries like fishing.

💡Självreglering

Self-regulation is the process where communities create and enforce their own rules to manage common resources. In the video, Ostrom's findings show that when groups are allowed to set their own rules, they can manage resources sustainably. For example, she observed this in communities managing fisheries, irrigation, and grazing lands.

💡Empirisk iakttagelse

Empirical observation refers to conclusions drawn from real-world data rather than theoretical models. Ostrom's research was rooted in extensive fieldwork, where she observed how small organizations and communities manage common resources. The video describes how her empirical findings led to the development of her groundbreaking theories.

💡Fältstudier

Field studies are an essential part of Ostrom's methodology, involving direct observation of how communities interact with and manage shared resources. The video mentions how Ostrom and her team traveled to various parts of the world, including Japan, Nepal, and Switzerland, to observe how different communities managed resources like water and pastures.

💡Organisationer

Organizations, particularly small and loosely governed ones, are central to Ostrom's findings. Her research revealed that smaller organizations with fewer rigid controls were often more effective at managing common resources than large, highly controlled ones. The video highlights her studies in New York and Indianapolis, where she identified this organizational efficiency.

💡Resiliens

Resilience, or the ability to recover from difficulties, is a concept tied to how communities and ecosystems manage and sustain themselves. The video refers to the Stockholm Resilience Centre, where Ostrom's theories are applied to study global issues like overfishing. Her work on cooperation and self-regulation contributes to the understanding of resilience in both social and environmental systems.

💡Vattenförvaltning

Water management is one of the common resources Ostrom studied in her fieldwork. The video gives examples of successful water management systems in Nepal and the U.S., where communities collaborated to handle drought and irrigation sustainably. This reflects Ostrom's broader theory of how common resources, like water, can be managed through local cooperation and self-regulation.

💡Ekonomiska incitament

Economic incentives refer to financial motivations for individuals or groups to act in certain ways. The video contrasts Ostrom's findings with the traditional view that economic incentives or government intervention are necessary to manage resources. Ostrom showed that people often cooperate not just for financial gain but for long-term sustainability and mutual benefit.

Highlights

Elinor Ostrom was the first woman to receive the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2009.

Ostrom had a unique approach, often laughing during lectures to express her passion for her research.

She began researching in the 1960s with her husband, studying organizations that functioned effectively.

Ostrom's extensive study over 15 years concluded that smaller, loosely controlled organizations were more efficient than those with rigid control.

Her empirical observations sparked the idea that effective cooperation could emerge without top-down governance.

Despite initial skepticism, Ostrom continued her field studies on human collaboration for over 20 years.

Her research spanned global case studies, from fishing waters in Japan to irrigation systems in Nepal.

Ostrom's 1997 book presented her theory on how communities can sustainably manage shared resources with self-made rules.

She demonstrated that people could collaborate on shared resources without the need for strict state or private governance.

Her work contradicted the prevailing 'tragedy of the commons' theory, which argued that people would exploit shared resources without strong regulation.

Ostrom showed that in practice, many people collaborate for long-term benefits, even when economic theories predicted otherwise.

Her theories are applied at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, which seeks to scale her small-scale collaboration models globally.

Ostrom's research inspired global initiatives, including efforts to sustainably manage global fisheries by bringing key industry players together.

Her theories have also been applied to peace and conflict studies, where resources like water and food are critical.

Digital communities, such as Wikipedia, also benefit from Ostrom's insights into how decentralized groups can collaborate effectively.

Transcripts

Rappt och bullrigt förklarar hon varför hennes teori om allmänningar fungerar i praktiken.

Det var föreläsningen efter att hon 2009 som första kvinna

tilldelats Sveriges riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap

till Alfred Nobels minne.

-Hon kunde mitt i en komplicerad föreläsning gapskratta

och liksom skratta åt sig själv nästan

åt hur fantastiskt fascinerande det var att hålla på med de här grejerna.

Elinor Ostrom började på sextiotalet forska tillsammans med sin make

och undersökte vad organisationer som fungerade hade gemensamt.

Under femton års tid åkte hon och hennes team av forskare runt med polisen i New York

och Indianapolis, och kom i den hittills största studien som gjorts fram till att

mindre organisationer med lösare tyglar var de mest effektiva, inte de som var hårt styrda.

-Det var en enkel empirisk iakttagelse i en undersökning som inte hade några jättestora ambitioner.

Men det sådde liksom ett frö. Jaha...okej...

det kanske är så här det fungerar. Det ligger något i det här.

Kanske är det är något som stämmer på andra håll också?

Och så fortsatte hon att studera fler system där det var så

och så kom hon på någonting att det här är nog fasen alltså en bra idé.

Trots ett svalt intresse från omvärlden för frågan hur människor samarbetar

fortsätter Ostrom sina fältstudier oförtrutet.

I tjugo års tid reser hon runt i världen och undersöker lyckade samarbeten.

Fiskevatten i Japan, bevattningssystem i Nepal,

branta betesmarker i Schweiz

och hur man hanterat svår torka och bevattning i USA.

Steg för steg framträder teorin som blev helt tydlig för alla i hennes bok 1997

om hur man kommer överens om en gemensam resurs som flera är beroende av

men som många har helt olika intressen av.

Runt en sjö till exempel:

En vill värna friluftslivet och båttripper

en annan måste vattna grödorna

och så ska alla kunna fortsätta dricka vattnet.

Ostrom kom fram till att de kommer att hållbart sköta sin sjö

om man samlar alla i ett rum öga mot öga och låter dem sätta upp egna unika regler

och så sanktioner för den som inte sköter sig.

-Det var ett genombrott att hon visade att människor faktiskt kan samarbeta om

gemensamma resurser och hitta sätt att ta hand om dem hållbart,

som är bortom att staten går in och reglerar eller att man ger ekonomiska incitament.

Men det var en teori som gick helt emot den som gällde på sextiotalet.

Teorin om allmänningens tragedi som sa att människor behöver

en stark statlig eller privat styrning.

Annars skulle de av ren egoism och mot bättre vetande

fortsätta använda en gemensam resurs tills den var förstörd.

-I verkligheten lurar människor inte varandra hela tiden som ekonomerna trodde.

I verkligheten finns det faktiskt en del människor som samarbetar,

inte för att de är snälla

utan för att de inser att på lång sikt så tjänar alla på det.

På Stockholm Resilience Centre bygger verksamheten på Ostroms forskning.

Hon satt också i styrelsen fram till sin död 2012.

Här försöker man pröva om de småskaliga teorierna också kan fungera globalt.

Forskning som gäller fisket i världshaven där fångsterna stadigt minskar.

Tretton bolag och deras tusen underleverantörer identifierades

som de största och mest inflytelserika i världen.

De står för fyrtio procent av all fångst av tonfisk till exempel.

Forskarna lyckades få topparna för tio av bolagen att komma till Stockholm för att

under kronprinsessans beskydd se varandra i ögonen och ta krafttag.

-Jag tror att de plötsligt kände ett mänskligt ansvar för sin verksamhet

Det var det ena tror jag. Det andra tror jag var att de fick förtroende för varandra,

att om du gör det här så gör jag det också, såsom Ostrom också förutspår.

Och sen det tredje: att vi tio är tillräckligt starka för att påverka regeringar,

för att påverka resten av branschen och gå före.

Men det är inte bara miljö- och klimatfrågor,

freds- och konfliktforskningen prövar också Ostroms teorier.

Inte minst för att konflikter ofta uppstår när vatten och mat blir bristvaror.

När det gäller digitala allmänningar,

nätcommunities som Wikipedia och delningsekonomins alla sajter så

finns det också hjälp att få i Ostroms grundforskning att bygga vidare på.

-Även om man inte kan gå till ett skåp och öppna och ta fram en burk som det står

Ostroms piller på som vi kan ordinera. Eller här finns en grej, en pryl vi kan sätta igång.

Utan det här handlar om hur samhällen fungerar och att det växlas ut på lång sikt.

Och när samhällen fungerar och fungerar bra,

så finns det liksom ingen gräns för hur mycket nytta som ligger i det.