Empowering people and communities to cultivate information as a shared resource.
“As long as analysts presume that individuals cannot change such situations themselves, they do not ask what internal or external variables can enhance or impede the efforts of communities of individuals to deal creatively and constructively with perverse problems such as the tragedy of the commons.”
– Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons
Ostrom’s Design Principles for Managing Common Pool Resources
As Applied to Knowledge Systems
- Clearly defined boundaries.
- The knowledge system is composed of well-delineated data managed and used by well-delineated groups of people.
- Proportional equivalence between benefits and costs.
- The people who create, maintain, and improve the knowledge system receive adequate satisfaction for their efforts.
- Collective-choice arrangements.
- The rules for managing the knowledge system are created and updated by the people who contribute to it.
- Monitoring.
- The knowledge system is easily observable by users to detect when data integrity is compromised.
- Graduated sanctions.
- Violations that harm the integrity of the knowledge system are met with fair consequences.
- Conflict resolution mechanisms.
- Processes are in place that facilitate quick, effective, transparent resolution of disagreements.
- Minimal recognition of rights to organize.
- The wider communities respect the right of the people who manage and use the knowledge system to do so.
- For groups that are part of larger social systems, there must be appropriate coordination among relevant groups.
- Each knowledge system has an optimal scale of governance, translating to nested jurisdictions of various levels and sizes. Recognition and communication between these groups–horizontally and vertically–is essential. See Polycentric Governance.
This project is brand spanking new, but if you have any questions or want to contribute, email info@theknowledgecommons.org