The Governing the Commons (book)

"The Governing the Commons" by Elinor Ostrom examines how communities sustainably manage shared resources like fisheries, forests, or water supplies. It challenges the idea that only government or privatization can prevent overuse, showing that local groups can develop effective, self-governing rules through cooperation, trust, and shared responsibility. The book highlights real-world examples where communities successfully prevent resource depletion without top-down regulation, emphasizing the importance of context-specific solutions and collective management for long-term resource sustainability.