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Browsing by Author "Ostrom, Elinor"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 21
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    An analytical agenda for the study of decentralized resource regimes
    Andersson, Krister P.; Ostrom, Elinor (Blacksburg, VA: SANREM CRSP, OIRED, Virginia Tech, 2007)
    This paper seeks to shed new light on the study of decentralized natural resource governance by applying institutional theories of polycentricity - the relationships among multiple authorities with overlapping jurisdictions. The emphasis on multi-level dynamics has not penetrated empirical studies of environmental policy reforms in nonindustrial countries. On the contrary, many of today's decentralization proponents seem to be infatuated with the local sphere, expecting that local actors are always able and willing to govern their natural resources effectively. Existing studies in this area often focus exclusively on characteristics and performance of local institutions. While we certainly do not deny the importance of local institutions, we argue that institutional arrangements operating at other governance scales - such as national government agencies, international organizations, NGOs at multiple scales, and private associations - also often have critical roles to play in natural resource governance regimes, including self-organized regimes.
  • Asian irrigation in transition: Responding to challenges
    Shivakoti, G. P. (New Delhi, India: Sage Publications, 2005)
    This book presents observations and informed views on what will be required of irrigation policies, institutions and governance for Asia and for the rest of the world.
  • The challenge of common-pool resources
    Ostrom, Elinor (Taylor & Francis Group, 2008)
    As population increases, there is an increased pressure on our environment and ecosystems to provide livable situations and ample resources. Though there have been substantial net gains in economic development and human well-being, this comes at a price to our environment and common-pool resources such as forests and fisheries. Because of the lack of property rights and open-accessibility of common-pool resources, they are frequently over-harvested and mismanaged. This article analyzes what is necessary for the maintenance and sustainability of common-pool resources, including collaboration with local experts, active monitoring and enforcement, and investment in adaptive governance.
  • Complexity of coupled human and natural systems
    Liu, J.; Dietz, T.; Carpenter, S. R.; Alberti, M.; Folke, C.; Moran, E.; Pell, A. N.; Deadman, P.; Kratz, T.; Lubchenco, J.; Ostrom, Elinor; Ouyang, Z.; Provencher, W.; Redman, C. L.; Shneider, S. H.; Taylor, W. W. (2007)
    Because of the lack of collaboration between social and ecological scientists, the study of coupled human and nature systems has not been directly studied. This study examines cases on five continents: Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Europe. Each area differs in ecological, socioeconomic, political, demographic and cultural setting. Still, the five studies are similar in that they address complex interactions of human and nature systems, consider and measure both human and ecological components, are composed of interdisciplinary teams, use integrated tools to collect both ecological and human data, and are context specific and longitudinal over periods of time.
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    Decentralization reforms and property rights: Potentials and puzzles for forest sustainability and livelihoods
    Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Andersson, Krister P.; Ostrom, Elinor (Blacksburg, VA: Office of International Research, Education, and Development, Virginia Tech, 2009)
    This presentation provides an overview of the SANREM research regarding decentralization reform and property rights in forest management. Realizing that decentralization reform often falls short of its sustainable natural resource management objectives, the research hypothesizes that this is a consequence of blueprint policies ill adapted to the local context and that reforms will be more effective under particular circumstances. This is accomplished by longitudinal study regarding the impacts of reform in Uganda, Kenya, Bolivia and Mexico.
  • A diagnostic approach for going beyond panaceas
    Ostrom, Elinor (Washington, DC: The National Academy of Sciences, 2007)
    This document addresses the failure of panaceas to solve the issue of resource destruction over various socio-ecological systems (SESs). The article claims that organization of successful strategies can occur through a framework consisting of four layers: (i) a resource system, (ii) the resource units generated by that system, (iii) the users of that system, and (iv) the governance system and allows for analysis of their collective affects by interactions and the resulting outcomes. (Framework description taken from article)
  • The emergence of outcomes of collective action: An institutional and ecosystem approach
    Futemma, C.; de Castro, F.; Silva-Forsberg, M. C.; Ostrom, Elinor (Taylor & Francis, 2002)
    Participation in collective action is frequently studied through a community-based analysis, with focus on the social features of the participants and on the ecological features of the managed system. This study addresses the importance of scaling down to household level to understand different individual incentives to collaborate (or not) as well as scaling up to the landscape level to evaluate the ecological outcome of the local forms of collective action. We report on a study of a riparian community of 33 households in the Lower Amazon located between two distinct ecosystems - a privately owned upland forest and a communally owned floodplain. Household-based analysis uncovers how heterogeneity within the community leads to different incentives for participation in the communal floodplain, while systemic analysis reveals that interconnection between the managed ecosystem and adjacent ecosystem influences the decisions to participate as well as the ecological outcomes of the collective actions.
  • Farmer managed irrigation systems in the changed context: Proceedings of the Second International Seminar held on 18-19 April 2002, Kathmandu, Nepal
    Pradhan, P. (ed.); Gautam, U. (ed.) (Kathmandu, Nepal: Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems Promotion Trust, 2002)
    In these conference proceedings, multiple scholars contributed research and analysis regarding the institutional arrangements used to govern irrigation systems in multiple countries.
  • A framework to analyze the robustness of social-ecological systems from an institutional perspective
    Anderies, John M.; Janssen, Marco A.; Ostrom, Elinor (The Resilience Alliance, 2004)
    This paper presents a framework for the analysis of socio-ecological systems and some of its various components, such as resources, resource users, public infrastructure providers, and public infrastructure. The principles that this model was based off of were initially conceived because of a need to understand robust, common-pool resources. The SES framework is available to researchers of all disciplines to enable them to analyze the components of SES and the links between the components. The primary focus of this article is to address how institutional arrangements can affect the robustness of SES.
  • Going beyond panaceas
    Ostrom, Elinor; Janssen, Marco A.; Anderies, John M. (2007)
    This feature provides an overview of the propensity of the panacea approach to resource governance to fail. This article gives analysis and evidence as to why general models and solutions are inadequate in addressing the diverse challenges faced in governance systems. It also shows researchers how to take a more focused approach in constructing more suitable policies for a specific case.
  • The importance of rule enforcement to local level forest management
    Gibson, C.; Williams, J.; Ostrom, Elinor (2003)
    Current studies of community level resource management focus on the factors that impede or help individuals to overcome their collective action problems. Dozens of factors have been identified in this literature. While important, such work is limited by the lack of theory that connects these factors with outcomes, and the near total lack of hypothesis testing beyond the case level. We argue that despite the possible differences between individuals or the characteristics of the resource they use, the regular monitoring and sanctioning of rules is a necessary condition for successful resource management. We offer a preliminary test of this hypothesis by pairing rule monitoring and sanctioning against other factors considered important in the literature, and by using a sample size of 172 user groups from the International Forestry Resources and Institutions Research Program (IFRI). We find strong support for our hypothesis that rule enforcement -- i.e. regular monitoring and sanctioning -- tends to dominate the other factors with regard to the probability that a forest is in good condition.
  • Improving irrigation governance and management in Nepal
    Shivakoti, G. P.; Ostrom, Elinor (Oakland, CA: ICS Press, 2002)
    This volume draws together over 20 years of research by a team of international scholars into the most effective strategies that communities in developing countries can use to govern and manage their resources most effectively. Many of the findings and evidence will be of interest to American scholars interested in community development and resource management.
  • Navigating Social-Ecological Systems: Building Resilience for Complexity and Change
    Berkes, F.; Colding, J.; Folke, C. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003)
  • People and forests: Communities, institutions, and governance
    Gibson, C.; McKean, M.; Ostrom, Elinor (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000)
    This book explores interactions between communities and forests, focusing on the rules communities use to manage forest resources.
  • Property rights regimes and natural resources: A conceptual analysis
    Schlager, E.; Ostrom, Elinor (1992)
    The term "Common-Property resource" is an example of a term repeatedly used to refer to property owned by a government or by no one. It is also used for property owned by a community of resource users. Such usage leads to confusion in scientific study and usage leads to confusion in scientific study and policy analysis. In this paper we develop a conceptual schema for arraying property-rights regimes that distinguishes among diverse bundles of rights ranging from authorized user, to claimant, to proprietor, and to owner. We apply this conceptual schema to analyze findings from a variety of empirical settings including the Maine lobster industry.
  • Protecting the commons: A framework for resource management in the Americas
    Burger, James A.; Ostrom, Elinor; Norgaard, R. B.; Policansky, D.; Goldstein, B. D. (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2001)
    This book offers an analytical framework for understanding commons issues and designing policies suited to their governance.
  • Seeing the forest and the trees: Human-environment interactions in forest ecosystems
    Moran, E.; Ostrom, Elinor (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005)
    This article examines changes in land cover and land use in forested regions as major contributors to global environmental change. The author also investigates why some forested areas thrive even in the presence of high human densities and activity while others decline and disappear.
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    The struggle to govern the commons
    Dietz, T.; Ostrom, Elinor; Stern, P. C. (2003)
    Human institutions -- ways of organizing activities -- affect the resilience of the environment. Locally evolved institutional arrangements governed by stable communities and buffered from outside forces have sustained resources successfully for centuries, although they often fail when rapid change occurs. Ideal conditions for governance are increasingly rare. Critical problems, such as transboundary pollution, tropical deforestation, and climate change, are at larger scales and involve nonlocal influences. Promising strategies for addressing these problems include dialogue among interested parties, officials, and scientists; complex, redundant, and layered institutions; a mix of institutional types; and designs that facilitate experimentation, learning, and change.
  • Understanding decentralization
    Bauer, J. (2008)
    While decentralization policies have become increasingly popular in developing countries, this presentation explores the definition of decentralization in terms of "who" is gaining control over "what" resource. It is shown that historical and ecological contexts play a strong role in the shaping of the success of decentralization policies. Further addressed are social and biological science approaches, and the benefits gleaned through adopting practices from each.
  • Unpacking decentralization
    Andersson, Krister P.; Bauer, Jacqui; Jagger, Pamela; Luckert, Marty; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Mwangi, Esther; Ostrom, Elinor (2008)
    This presentation provides an analytical breakdown of the implications of government decentralization policies in the management of forest resources. Though first presenting the negative aspects of centralization policies, the presentation shows how decentralization has widely evolved as better equipped to prevent a tragedy of the commons in forest resource depletion. Nevertheless, results of decentralization in forest management varied widely in application across the various sites.