8 Keys to a Successful Commons

Define clear group boundaries.

Match rules governing use of common goods to local needs and conditions.

Ensure that those affected by the rules can participate in modifying the rules.

Make sure the rulemaking rights of community members are respected by outside authorities.

Develop a system, carried out by community members, for monitoring members’ behavior.

Use graduated sanctions for rule violators.

Provide accessible, low-cost means for dispute resolution.

Build responsibility for governing the common resource in nested tiers from the lowest level up to the entire interconnected system.

This list was adapted for America: The Remix, the Spring 2010 issue of YES! Magazine, from Governing the Commons:  The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, edited by Elinor Ostrom, 1990.

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YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. Ostrom, E. (2010, February 19). 8 Keys to a Successful Commons. Retrieved February 12, 2012, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/america-the-remix/8-keys-to-a-successful-commons. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License