Polycentricity in action

Institutions refer to the rules and norms that organise social, political and economic relations.

In this video, Dr. Nordman explains how Ostrom built her theory of commons management from hundreds of case studies from around the world. Institutions can be formal, or informal, written, or unwritten. In particular, the irrigation communities around València, Spain provided Ostrom with a well-developed set of institutions around water governance.