Wilcox's "Governing the Commons" (concept)

Elinor Ostrom's "Governing the Commons" explores how communities can successfully manage shared resources, like fisheries or forests, without requiring privatization or government intervention. Ostrom argues that locals, when empowered, often develop their own rules and institutions to sustainably govern these resources. She identifies key principles for effective management, including clear boundaries, collective decision-making, and conflict resolution mechanisms. This challenges the conventional belief that commons inevitably suffer from overuse and supports the idea that cooperative, community-driven approaches can lead to sustainable resource management.