DISA

Welcome to a seminar and get the first results from the project: Modelling institutional dynamics in historical commons (MIDI)

• When: Thursday October 11, 13:15-14:30
• Where: Linnaeus University in K3040 (Växjö)
• No registration needed

Authors: Mike Farjam, Tine De Moor, Renè van Weeren, Anders Forsman, Molood Ale Ebrahim Dehkordi, Amineh Ghorbani, Giangiacomo Bravo

Abstract: Commons are governance regimes set-up to coordinate the exploitation of natural or man-made resources shared among different users. Understanding commons is important as the underlying social dilemma situation may lead to resource overuse and ultimately depletion if not appropriately managed. However, long-term processes of rule change in commons institutions are poorly understood. We present a quantitative analysis of 18 European commons across seven centuries offering an unique picture of long-term institutional dynamics.  The analysis relies on the database recently built as part of the Common Rules Project. This database includes over 5000 detailed rules defining commons institutions and recording their changes across several centuries. Despite the differences in time and space, we found a shared pattern where an initial, highly-dynamic institutional-definition phase is followed by a relatively long period of stability and a final burst of changes, possibly in an attempt to respond to internal or external factors menacing the survival of the commons. Our findings not only challenge some elements of the current view on institutional dynamics but also provide important insights on the management of natural resources worldwide and how commons being formed today may be expected to evolve.

//Diana