8.9 The Surprising Role of Success-Driven Migration
161
as foreigners, but as an integral part of the community, which fostered a relationship
of mutual trust.
8.10 Common Pool Resource Management
Above, I have described many simple social mechanisms that have proved their effectiveness and efficiency in mathematical models, computer simulations, laboratory
or real-life settings. But what about more complex socio-economic systems? Would
suitable social mechanisms be able to create a desirable and efficient self-organization
of entire societies? Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012), in fact, performed extensive field
studies addressing this question, and in 2009, she won the Nobel Prize for her work.
Conventional economic theory posits that public (“common-pool”) resources
can’t be efficiently managed, and therefore should be privatized. Elinor Ostrom,
however, discovered that this is wrong. She studied the way in which commonpool resources (CPR) were managed in Switzerland and elsewhere, and found that
self-governance is efficient and leads to cooperation, if the interaction rules are
appropriate. A successful set of rules is specified below:
19
1. The boundaries between in- and out-groups must be clearly defined (to
effectively exclude external, un-entitled parties).
2. The possession and supply of common-pool resources must be governed
according to rules that are tailored to the specific local conditions.
3. A collective decision-making process is required that involves the agents
who are affected by the use of the respective resources.
4. The supply and use of common-pool resources must be monitored by
the people who manage the common-pool resources or people who are
accountable to them.
5. Sanctions of proportionate severity must be imposed on people who use
common-pool resources in violation of the community rules.
6. Conflict resolution procedures must be established which are cheap and
easy to access.
7. The self-governance of the community must be recognized by the higherlevel authorities.
8. In case of larger systems, they can be organized into multiple layers of
“nested enterprises”, i.e. in a modular way, with smaller local CPRs at the
base level.
Note, however, that collective goods can be created even under less restrictive
conditions.
20 This amazing fact can, for example, be observed in the communities
19 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom and also Ostrom et al. [14].
20 Vinko et al. [15].
161
as foreigners, but as an integral part of the community, which fostered a relationship
of mutual trust.
8.10 Common Pool Resource Management
Above, I have described many simple social mechanisms that have proved their effectiveness and efficiency in mathematical models, computer simulations, laboratory
or real-life settings. But what about more complex socio-economic systems? Would
suitable social mechanisms be able to create a desirable and efficient self-organization
of entire societies? Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012), in fact, performed extensive field
studies addressing this question, and in 2009, she won the Nobel Prize for her work.
Conventional economic theory posits that public (“common-pool”) resources
can’t be efficiently managed, and therefore should be privatized. Elinor Ostrom,
however, discovered that this is wrong. She studied the way in which commonpool resources (CPR) were managed in Switzerland and elsewhere, and found that
self-governance is efficient and leads to cooperation, if the interaction rules are
appropriate. A successful set of rules is specified below:
19
1. The boundaries between in- and out-groups must be clearly defined (to
effectively exclude external, un-entitled parties).
2. The possession and supply of common-pool resources must be governed
according to rules that are tailored to the specific local conditions.
3. A collective decision-making process is required that involves the agents
who are affected by the use of the respective resources.
4. The supply and use of common-pool resources must be monitored by
the people who manage the common-pool resources or people who are
accountable to them.
5. Sanctions of proportionate severity must be imposed on people who use
common-pool resources in violation of the community rules.
6. Conflict resolution procedures must be established which are cheap and
easy to access.
7. The self-governance of the community must be recognized by the higherlevel authorities.
8. In case of larger systems, they can be organized into multiple layers of
“nested enterprises”, i.e. in a modular way, with smaller local CPRs at the
base level.
Note, however, that collective goods can be created even under less restrictive
conditions.
20 This amazing fact can, for example, be observed in the communities
19 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom and also Ostrom et al. [14].
20 Vinko et al. [15].