Institutional Entrepreneurship in a Contested Commons: Insights from Struggles Over the Oasis of Jemna in Tunisia

Abstract

Recently, management literature has sought to examine the role of institutional entrepreneurs in the emergence of commons logic and in building consensus around its meaning. While the focus has been on new commons, not all are created ex nihilo. Some types of preexisting commons, known as contested commons, often pose challenges that result in disagreements and conflicts with respect to their ownership, use, and management. These commons are a ubiquitous yet understudied phenomenon. In this paper, we use the case of the Tunisian Oasis of Jemna, pictured against the historical backdrop of the Arab Spring, to look at the institutional struggles that involve institutional entrepreneurs and the opponents of a contested commons. We identify two main strategies used by institutional entrepreneurs to frame the commons as a superior alternative: idealizing the commons and coalescing the community to harness its potential. We also highlight the heretofore neglected role of opponents, who engage in demonizing the commons to restore the competing logics of state or market. Finally, we unravel some of the conditions that allow for a temporary settlement of the contest, leading to what we term de facto commons.

Disponibilité en eau et orientation des agriculteurs : facteurs d’adoption de pratiques écologiquement intensives dans les oasis de Kébili en Tunisie

“…Une autre partie des terres gérées par la SODAD, non étudiée ici, fut concédée à des investisseurs privés, qui furent par la suite évincés par la population de Jemna lors de la révolution de 2011. La gestion de ces dernières terres est depuis lors conduite par une association locale, l'Association pour la protection de l'oasis de Jemna ou APOJ (Ben-Slimane et al, 2020).…”

Understand Factors Influencing the Development of the Social and Solidarity Economy in African countries:A Case Study in Rural Tunisia.

“…This model for the development of SSE in Tunisia has been a bottom-up approach where civil society actors have initiated SSE entities such as associations that have tried to implement new ways of doing development, in the face of the state's inability to meet the needs of the population (El-Idrissi, 2017;Mouelhi et al, 2021). In order to consolidate the dynamics underway, several economic initiatives of a social and solidarity nature are emerging, from small craft enterprises to social entrepreneurship experiments, including self-managed villages (experience of Jemna, Henchir Still, the fig of Djebba), some of them have been initiated in the framework of cooperation projects as is the case of SMSA "Djebba Fruits" and the grouping of agricultural development femenin "Knouz Djebba" 2 , others have emerged in a more spontaneous manner as is the case of the farm of Jemna, (Abaza, 2020;Ben-Slimane et al, 2020;El-Idrissi, 2017;Gammar, 2019). Other SMSAs have succeeded in their activities thanks to a dynamic partnership with the public authorities and the private sector, such as the experience of the "Elhouda" SMSA in Mahdia.…”

The Ethics of Alternative Currencies

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