(Ctools) Ostrom, Elinor, “A framework for analysis of self-organizing and self-governing CPRs.” pp. 182-185, Governing the Commons
Appropriators collaborated to form their own institutions
No success story was the result of direct regulation from a centralized authority
A mix of public and private institutions needed to effectively govern the commons
Economic models
Hardin's tragedy of the commons, prisoner's dilemma are "special models" that use extreme assumptions and simple rules (unlike the general rules used to define these real CPR cases)
When the world approximates the givens in these scenarios, the outcomes go as expected
But the world is more complex
Why these CPR institutions work
small scale
communication is: habitual, face-to-face, and takes place within a local physical setting = social capital and self-organization
low cost to change/adapt the rules - rules not exogenously fixed from outside the community, so rule-making can adapt to endogenous variables
don't apply wrong models from long range (would decrease institutional capital)