Elinor Ostrom (7 August 1933 – 12 June 2012) was an American political scientist and political economist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics, in 2009.
Life and Career
Elinor Ostrom was born on 7 August 1933, in Los Angeles, California, United States.
She attended UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) for her undergraduate studies, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science in 1954. She then pursued her graduate studies at UCLA, obtaining her master’s degree in 1962 and her Ph.D. in political science in 1965.
Ostrom’s career took a groundbreaking turn when she began focusing on common-pool resource management, challenging the traditional assumption of “the tragedy of the commons.” She conducted extensive fieldwork and research, which culminated in her seminal work, “Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action” (1990). In this book, she demonstrated that communities could develop sustainable and effective ways of managing common resources without relying on external authorities.
Elinor Ostrom passed away on 12 June 2012, in Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Award and Legacy
She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics, in 2009, for her research and groundbreaking findings. She became the first woman to receive this honor, a testament to her exceptional contributions to the field of economics.
Elinor Ostrom’s legacy as a scholar and researcher continues to inspire academics and policymakers worldwide. Her work remains highly influential in the study of collective action, governance, and sustainable resource management. Her ideas have also impacted various fields beyond economics, including environmental studies, political science, and sociology.
