Studying the commons, governing common-pool resource outcomes: Some concluding thoughts

• Published in: Environmental science & policy Vol. 36; pp. 86 - 91
• Main Author: Agrawal, Arun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014
• Subjects: Common property; Coupled natural and human systems; Governance; Social–ecological systems; Common property; Coupled natural and human systems; Governance; Social–ecological systems
• ISSN: 1462-9011; 1873-6416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2013.08.012

•Ostrom's insights provide scholars of commons solid foundation for continued research advances.•Theoretical advancement of the field requires differentiating among multiple commons outcomes.•More sophisticated methods, and comprehensive datasets are needed for better understanding. The study of common-pool resources has benefited immensely from the contributions of Elinor Ostrom. Continuing advances in the field will require that scholars of commons use the insights in her work. But they must also (1) make conceptual and theoretical advances in terms of differentiating the social and ecological outcomes related to commons governance, (2) deploy more sophisticated analytical methods to make sense of different outcomes and patterns of relationships among outcomes, and (3) create better, globally representative, hierarchically organized datasets on the commons. Efforts to build better theories and develop a more rigorous understanding of outcomes are also necessary to keep in view the needs of poor, marginal populations that depend on the commons globally.