In week three of my sustainability course with Coursera (www.coursera.org), I’ve just read about another potential role model who died before I knew she existed.
Elinor Ostrom died last June at the age of 78 years. Three years ago, the political scientist who specialized in studying the Commons won the Nobel prize for economics. She was the first woman to win this illustrious prize.
Ostrom specialized in meta analysis about cooperation, trust, local societies and collective action, private versus collective property, user monitoring and the benefit of resolving conflicts through simple conversations without regulation.
In reading about the researcher, I admired many quotes, but my favourite is this:
Sometimes public officials don’t even know that the local people have come to some agreements. It may not be in the courts or even written down. That is why sometimes public authorities wipe out what local people have spent years creating.”
Another good quote is:
The resources in good condition around the world have users with long-term interests who invest in monitoring and building.”
Her Nobel prize acceptance speech is well-worth hearing. It can be viewed on the web at:
http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1223&view=1
Other good interviews with or articles about her can be found at:
http://www.shareable.net/blog/no-panaceas-a-qa-with-elinor-ostrom
http://www.shareable.net/blog/remembering-elinor-ostrom
