ABSTRACT
Contrary to Hardin (1968), the Tragedy of the Commons is not an unavoidable fate. History contains many examples of successfully managed commons. As Ostrom (1990) points out, self-governed organizations may provide effective facilities or institutions for negotiating, monitoring, and enforcing contracts. What distinguishes successful from unsuccessful resource management? Many authors favor sustainability as the criterion of success. Sustainability is usually interpreted to mean that the consumption of (renewable) resources should remain within the carrying capacity of the resource system, although it may have economic and social components as well.
