On the commons of developed industrialized countries

Abstract

Abstract:The editorial discusses the status and prospects of the commons of developed industrialized countries, based on the literature. For the traditional commons, one key variable for long-term development prospects of the commons is found in the way ownership to the commons is structured. A second key variable is the way increasing knowledge, including scientific environmental knowledge, has affected our perception of what a resource is within a commons and its value. The way these two variables characterizing commons: "structure of ownership" and "knowledge of valuable resources" are related is illustrated in a process referred to as "the withering away" with potential for widely diverging outcomes. Also new emerging urban commons are commented on and a more indepth study of both traditional and new urban commons is called for.

Identity, Commons and Sustainability: An Economic Perspective

“…Knowledge, friendship, and commitment enable the development of building reciprocity and relationships (relational goods, [51,52]). Meanwhile, large natural areas can promote sociality and citizenship [16,46,53,54]. The peculiarity of these resources stems from the condition to be used through direct and proactive interpersonal relationships, substantiated by cooperative, collaborative, or altruistic acts (antirivalry, [51,55]).…”

“…A large body of literature deals with this tidal system and provides concepts and definitions of commons mostly based on the analysis of related property regimes, institutional agreements, and management schemes [2,[13][14][15][16][17]. Similarly, economic studies usually identify the nature of these resources through the two mentioned qualities (nonexclusivity and rivalry), again focused on access and use patterns [18][19][20].…”

Technology as integrated into institutions: expanding the list of actors affecting institutional conditions of cooperation

“…This study not only deals with some traditional commons but also with what has been labelled 'new urban commons', which often overlap with public goods as communal services and infrastructures that are organised by farmers at a local community level (Berge and Mckean 2015;Pieraccini 2015). As such, it involves goods that involve different social dilemmas.…”