Elinor Ostrom and the Bloomington School of Political Economy: A Framework for Policy Analysis

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In addition to winning the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for her path-breaking research on economic governance, especially the commons, Elinor (Lin) Ostrom also made important contributions to other fields of political economy and public policy. This four-volume compendium of papers written by Lin (often with coauthors, most notably her husband, Vincent), along with papers by others expanding on her work, brings together the strands of her entire empirical, analytical, theoretical, and methodological research program. Together with Vincents important theoretical contributions, they defined a distinctive Bloomington School of political-economic thought. Volume 3 explores the historical development of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, illustrates its application to a wide range of specific policy problems, and highlights recent extensions that ensure it will remain a vibrant focus of research for years to come. The IAD framework emerged from a long series of interdisciplinary collaborative research projects, but the guiding figure in its development was Elinor Ostrom. Anyone familiar with the full range of her research will recognize common presuppositions and themes for which she used the IAD framework as an organizing device. This book collects examples of policy-relevant applications of IAD to a wide range of policy sectors. In a fundamental sense, the IAD framework helps us understand how Ostroms mind worked when she approached a particular problem of policy, and it highlights those factors that she asserted needed to be considered in any complete analysis. Unfortunately, she did not leave us a complete or definitive guidebook on how to apply this framework. This volume collects important components of such a guidebook from a wide range of sources, including previously unpublished papers, and as such it should help anyone seeking to use this framework to analyze a variety of policy areas.

Reviews

The stunning range and vitality of contributions to policy analysis by the Ostroms and their colleagues are in full display in this collection. Masterfully woven together by Cole and McGinnis, this book will be an instant classic, repaying the attention of both practitioners and scholars far into the future. -- Arun Agrawal, University of Michigan
This volume is a much welcomed and needed addition to the field of policy analysis. It deftly provides an overview of the work of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom and the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework. There is simply not another book that offers such a comprehensive set of insights into their science and connects these insights to the field of policy analysis. -- Christopher M. Weible, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver
The Institutional Analysis and Development framework is one of Elinor Ostroms numerous significant contributions to the social sciences, and particularly to the study of public policy. This volume provides an excellent collection of her papers on the framework, as well as research by other members of the Bloomington School. These papers demonstrate the theoretical foundations of the framework, as well as how it can be applied. This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how policies are made and implemented. -- B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh

Author Bio

Daniel H. Cole is professor of law and professor of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. Michael D. McGinnis is associate dean for social & historical sciences and graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science at Indiana University Bloomington.