ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines Ostroms often novel methodology which combined such diverse research techniques as laboratory experiments, case studies, and historical examination, quantitative analysis and satellite surveys. The desire to see the prize as shared extended beyond Vincent, with whom she had worked for nearly a lifetime, to the members of their Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University. In 2011, uprisings toppled leader after leader in the Middle East and North Africa with governments falling like dominoes. In 2012, the Eurozone is in deep crisis and four years after the financial crash the US economy remains fragile. The research of Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson demonstrates that economic analysis can shed light on most forms of social organization. James Buchanan, the economist most associated with public choice, was a very strong influence on the work of both Ostroms.
