{"id":362,"date":"2026-01-02T05:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?p=362"},"modified":"2026-01-02T22:02:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T22:02:40","slug":"reading-and-learning-elinor-ostrom-governing-the-commons-pt-1-definitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?p=362","title":{"rendered":"Reading and Learning: Elinor Ostrom\u2019s Governing the Commons \u2014 Pt. 1: Concepts &amp; Application"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\">&ldquo;<em>You weren&rsquo;t calling people &lsquo;the commons&rsquo;?<\/em>&rdquo; my friend asked, chuckling. I decided then to share my notes. &#128514;<br><br>I was trying to understand the translation between individual choices and institutions, so I opened up Elinor Ostrom&rsquo;s book, <em>Governing the Commons<\/em>, for a little read about principles of institutional design.<br><br>I made it to the Tragedy of the Commons and stopped to consider it. She described:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"\">&ldquo;Since Garrett Hardin&rsquo;s challenging article in <em>Science<\/em> (1968), the expression &ldquo;the tragedy of the commons&rdquo; has come to symbolize the degradation of the environment to be expected whenever many individuals use a scarce resource in common. To illustrate the logical structure of his model, Hardin asks the reader to envision a pasture &ldquo;open to all.&rdquo; He then examines the structure of this situation from the perspective of a rational herder. Each herder receives a direct benefit from his own animals and suffers delayed costs from the deterioration of the commons when his and others&rsquo; cattle overgraze. Each herder is motivated to add more and more animals because he receives the direct benefit of his own animals and bears only a share of the costs resulting from overgrazing. Hardin concludes:<br><br>Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit &ndash; in a world that is limited. Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">(Hardin 1968, p. 1,244)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong><br><\/strong>Later in the chapter, she highlights communication as a core condition for cooperation &mdash; but what if communication itself isn&rsquo;t available? The &ldquo;<a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;bounded rationality&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;A model of decision-making that assumes people have limited information, time, and cognitive resources, so they rely on heuristics and &amp;quot;good enough&rdquo; choices rather than optimization. Crucially, it assumes &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;intact agency&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; and that constraints are &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;reversible&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;&mdash;that decision-making improves as limits are relaxed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Example:&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;A worker chooses a familiar brand at the grocery store instead of comparing every option, because time and attention are limited.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Contrast:&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;Bounded rationality explains &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;imperfect choices&amp;lt;\/em&amp;gt; under constraints; it does not explain what happens when stress or trauma removes access to choice itself.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=bounded-rationality\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>bounded rationality<\/a>&rdquo; model assumes intact agency and reversible constraints; it struggles when past stress alters capacity itself.<br><br>In reality, my friend who has worked with a global variety of fisheries often tells me that the involved parties can&rsquo;t get along due to years of built up resentment. The bold fishermen at times don&rsquo;t mind ignoring the authority of the government, but still can&rsquo;t cooperate due to their own poor relationships.<br><br><strong>This was my attempt to understand in my own terms, not to prove anything or suggest which rules or forms of governance are necessary.<br><\/strong><br>&ndash; I&rsquo;m choosing to ignore the fact that they are disrespecting the land for the sake of exploring the scenario. In the story, no single actor intends to limit the other, yet freedom without <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> produces mutual lack of freedom. That&rsquo;s what makes cooperation necessary.<br><br>The cattle herders are not dominating each other if the herders are horizontally limiting one another. Assuming exit is constrained here, there is harm and mutual loss of agency, but no dependency relationship or identity-collapse. That&rsquo;s a failure of coordination&ndash; an agency-eroding dynamic without domination.<br><br>So, assuming that communication is impossible or heavily strained: At the beginning, harm is reversible. The grass regrows. After crossing the threshold, <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;path dependence&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;when past conditions continue to shape outcomes even after circumstances change.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Example:&amp;lt;\/em&amp;gt; distrust persisting long after material conditions improve.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=path-dependence\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>path dependence<\/a> begins. Grass quality drops, herd sizes increase to compensate, competition intensifies. The system begins to remember its past. This is the point of <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;hysteresis&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Hysteresis:&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; when a system carries its past with it&mdash;so activation and recovery follow different paths, and returning to safety doesn&rsquo;t immediately restore prior capacity.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=hysteresis\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>hysteresis<\/a> &ndash; reducing herd size will not immediately restore the pasture and individual restraint no longer yields individual benefit.<br><br>Once <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;hysteresis&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Hysteresis:&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; when a system carries its past with it&mdash;so activation and recovery follow different paths, and returning to safety doesn&rsquo;t immediately restore prior capacity.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=hysteresis\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>hysteresis<\/a> sets in, pasture damage persists even if behavior changes. The <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> is now the system&rsquo;s own history. No one benefits asymmetrically and no identity is attacked.<br><br>Therefore, I&rsquo;m beginning to see that <strong><a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;agency eroding dynamics without domination&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;system-level processes in which individuals&rsquo; capacity to act freely diminishes over time as the aggregate result of reasonable, non-coercive choices, even though no actor exercises power through dependency, identity-collapse, or asymmetric control.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=agency-eroding-dynamics-without-domination\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>agency eroding dynamics without domination<\/a> <\/strong>emerge at the system level even as individuals make reasonable choices, as their behaviors aggregate together. Agency eroding dynamics become hysteretic when past overuse constrains present choice, making cooperation insufficient to restore agency without external interruption. This would be why liberals see value in laws. <strong>Constraints are introduced to interrupt the feedback loop driving these emergent dynamics. Whether they do so in agency-preserving or agency-collapsing ways depends on their design.<br><br><\/strong>A <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> is anything that limits possible actions. Constraints can be:<br><br>&#8902;&#729;&#10209; environmental (walls, distance, design),<br>&#8902;&#729;&#10209; material (scarcity, access),<br>&#8902;&#729;&#10209; social (norms, expectations),<br>&#8902;&#729;&#10209; coercive (force, punishment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><br><strong>Non dominating constraints<\/strong> limit action, preserve identity, apply symmetrically or by role, and disagreement and revision are possible. It often protects exit. This likely applies both individually and on the scale of an institution.<br><br>On the individual level, I already differentiate between <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> and two types of domination, splitting them between agency-preserving domination and agency-collapsing domination. The difference between <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> (I&rsquo;ve called <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;constraint&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a condition that limits what actions are possible or effective. Constraints can be physical (walls, distance), material (scarcity, access), social (norms, expectations), or procedural (rules), and may preserve or erode agency depending on how they are designed.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=constraint\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>constraint<\/a> coercion before, but I&rsquo;m undecided on it) and domination is that domination requires dependency and changed identity.<br><br><strong><a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;agency preserving domination&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a form of power or constraint that holds a situation steady under stress &mdash; limiting harmful action without inducing shame or collapse &mdash; so that autonomy, judgment, and self-regulation remain intact and can recover over time as the participant grows more comfortable relaxing into their own capacity to act.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;This differs from agency-collapsing domination, which exploits dependency to collapse identity and undermine agency.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=agency-preserving-domination-2\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>Agency preserving domination<\/a><\/strong> is temporarily asymmetric, acts on interiors to restore capacity, reduces dependency over time, and includes holding, <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;scaffolding&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;supplying temporary structure that lets someone practice cooperation, regulation, or decision-making before they can do it independently.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=scaffolding\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>scaffolding<\/a>, and containment. This is applicable during parenthood, accountability processes, therapy, and maybe some transitional institutions.<br><br>In contrast, <strong><a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;agency collapsing domination&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a form of power which exploits dependency to collapse identity and undermine agency.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;This differs from agency-preserving dominance, which is a form of power or constraint that holds a situation steady under stress &mdash; limiting harmful action without inducing shame or collapse &mdash; so that autonomy, judgment, and self-regulation remain intact and can recover over time as the participant grows more comfortable relaxing into their own capacity to act.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=agency-collapsing-domination\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>agency collapsing domination<\/a><\/strong> targets identity, relies on and produces dependency, is enforced by shame, and limits the pathway to restored agency. These would be rules that are based in things like racism, ableism, sexism, caste systems, or carceral humiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Some people are understandably exhausted and prioritize solutions that promise stability under real constraints. My one moral stance, though, is that I refuse to give up on people. That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m concerned with identifying which actions actually reduce harm versus which lead to false stability that may be received as more pleasantly &ldquo;moderate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#fff5cc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#9733;<\/mark> <mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-custom-color-2-color\">Additional Note:<br><br>The sustainable fishery friend I mentioned above was actually very defensive about Ostrom when I asked him his opinion. I found it interesting because his technique doesn&rsquo;t quite match what Ostrom describes; her framework assumes a baseline capacity for communication and cooperation is already intact.<br><br>To get the fishermen to cooperate, he begins by <strong>physically constraining<\/strong> them into different rooms and <strong>asymmetrically mediating<\/strong> across different days. It helps the fishermen vent and <strong>reduce <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;gain&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;how strongly a system amplifies input into response&mdash;higher gain means small stressors trigger outsized reactions. could be thought of as sensitivity.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=gain\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>gain<\/a> into the &ldquo;<a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;window of tolerance&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a term coined by Dan Siegel (building on Stephen Porges&rsquo; Polyvagal Theory) describing the physiological zone in which a person feels safe enough to remain present, flexible, and responsive. Outside this window, the nervous system shifts into survival modes&mdash;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;hyper-arousal&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; (fight\/flight) or &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;hypo-arousal&amp;lt;\/strong&amp;gt; (shutdown)&mdash;where reflective thinking, emotional regulation, and voluntary cooperation become difficult or impossible.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=window-of-tolerance\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>window of tolerance<\/a>,&rdquo; <strong>recovering some agentic capacity<\/strong> <\/strong>&mdash; in this case, the ability to reflect, communicate, and consider shared outcomes. He then combines their concerns together into columns to compare and find common ground. Each side is presented, then relevant scientists present their opinions as well. Lastly, he allows them all to calmly consider their options and doesn&rsquo;t interfere with the end result &ndash; in other words, <strong>he is performing <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;agency preserving domination&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;a form of power or constraint that holds a situation steady under stress &mdash; limiting harmful action without inducing shame or collapse &mdash; so that autonomy, judgment, and self-regulation remain intact and can recover over time as the participant grows more comfortable relaxing into their own capacity to act.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;This differs from agency-collapsing domination, which exploits dependency to collapse identity and undermine agency.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=agency-preserving-domination-2\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>agency preserving domination<\/a><\/strong> to allow their agency to expand and cooperation return. Some communities still remember him many years later and thank him again.<br><br>My friend is expanding upon Ostrom without recognizing it. When I raised this, he pointed to her institutional authority, including the fact that she won the Nobel Prize, as a reason for treating her framework as settled. While Ostrom covered important ground, we should still feel free to expand and improve <strong><a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;pre institutional conditions&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;the baseline psychological, relational, and material conditions required for institutions or collective governance to function at all &mdash; including sufficient safety, capacity for communication, and restraint of escalation. When these conditions are absent, cooperation cannot be produced by rules or deliberation alone and must first be restored through containment, mediation, or capacity-building.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?glossary=pre-institutional-conditions\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>pre institutional conditions<\/a><\/strong> under which those designs can function. This feels like <em>step zero<\/em>.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&#93805;.&#5151;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/black-and-fox-1024x536.png\" alt=\"a purple sleeping fox.\" class=\"wp-image-170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/black-and-fox-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/aeris.baby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/black-and-fox-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/aeris.baby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/black-and-fox-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/aeris.baby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/black-and-fox.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&ldquo;You weren&rsquo;t calling people &lsquo;the commons&rsquo;?&rdquo; my friend asked, chuckling. I decided then to share my notes. &#128514; I was trying to understand the translation between individual choices and institutions, so I opened up Elinor Ostrom&rsquo;s book, Governing the Commons, for a little read about principles of institutional design. I made it to the Tragedy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24],"tags":[26,28,7,25],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anarchism","category-learning","tag-commons","tag-constraint","tag-domination","tag-ostrom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reading and Learning: Elinor Ostrom\u2019s Governing the Commons \u2014 Pt. 1: Concepts &amp; Application - A Fox&#039;s Sky<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aeris.baby\/?p=362\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reading and Learning: Elinor Ostrom\u2019s Governing the Commons \u2014 Pt. 1: Concepts &amp; Application - A Fox&#039;s Sky\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&ldquo;You weren&rsquo;t calling people &lsquo;the commons&rsquo;?&rdquo; my friend asked, chuckling. I decided then to share my notes. &#128514; I was trying to understand the translation between individual choices and institutions, so I opened up Elinor Ostrom&rsquo;s book, Governing the Commons, for a little read about principles of institutional design. 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