Elinor Ostrom (Indiana University)

Elinor Ostrom was a renowned political economist and professor at Indiana University known for her research on how communities manage shared resources, like forests, fisheries, and water. Instead of assuming only government or private control work best, she demonstrated that local groups can successfully govern common resources through practical rules, participation, and trust. Her work challenged conventional ideas about resource management, earning her the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Ostrom’s insights emphasize community involvement, cooperation, and adaptive institutions as key to sustainable and effective management of shared resources.