The dilemma of the commoners : understanding the use of common pool resources in long-term perspective

La 4ème de couv. indique : "One of the classic problems in social science is known as 'the dilemma of the commons', in which land, water, and other resources held jointly by social or economic segments tend to be depleted sooner and to a greater extent than privately held assets. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many aspects of western European society changed fundamentally, including the abolition of common-property rights, which in itself was related to social and economic shifts in that same society. This book intends to put the debate on commons, commoners, and the disappearance of both throughout early modern and modern northwestern Europe in a new light, through new approaches and innovative methodologies. Tine De Moor aims to link the historical debate about the long-term evolution of commons to the present-day debates on common-pool resources, as well as touching upon various disciplines within the social sciences that work on commons issues." Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Series page 5 Title page 7 Copyright page 8 Dedication 9 Epigraph 10 Contents 11 Figures and Tables 13 Preface 15 Acknowledgments 19 Introduction 21 1 The emergence of commons and other forms of institutions for collective action in western Europe from the late Middle Ages onwards1 38 1.1 An institutional revolution in western Europe? 38 1.2 Historical development: the rise of commons and guilds from 1000 to 1300 44 1.3 Distinct institutions for collective action 51 1.4 The design of institutions for collective action 54 1.4.1 Exclusive 54 1.4.2 Self„-governed„ and relatively democratic governance structure 58 1.4.3 Protectionist 60 1.4.4 Local 64 1.4.5 Features of the governance model versus features of successful institutions 66 1.5 Explaining the origins of institutions for collective action in western Europe 68 1.5.1 Motives for collective action: potential advantages of cooperation 69 1.5.2 Motors of institutions for collective action: stimulating factors to form collectivities 72 1.5.3 Conditions for collective action: weak family ties, tolerant states, and legal recognition 75 1.6 Conclusions 78 2 Common land and common rights in Flanders1 81 2.1 Description of the area 81 2.2 The nature of common land 87 2.2.1 Common waste 88 2.2.1.1 Common pasture 88 2.2.1.2 Common meadow 89 2.2.1.3 Common woodlands 90 2.2.2 Common arable land 91 2.3 The evolution of the legal basis of common land 93 2.4 Management of common land in Flanders21 104 2.4.1 Boundaries of common land 108 2.4.1.1 Basic conditions of access to the common 109 2.4.1.2 Supplementary conditions for access to common land 110 2.4.2 Regulation of the use of common land 111 2.4.3 Managers and monitors of common land 113 2.5 Conclusions 117 3 From rules to practice: case description, sources, and methodology 120 3.1 Case study: the common of the Gemene and Loweiden in the villages of Assebroek and Oedelem, Flanders 120 3.1.1 The rights and duties of the aanborgers 123 3.1.2 Historial sources on the case of the Gemene and Loweiden 127 3.2 Methodological framework: the functioning of a common captured in a three„-dimensional„ approach 133 4 The choices of the commoners: understanding utility, efficiency, and equity on the commons through the behavior of commoners 141 4.1 The commoners’ changing participation in use and management of the common 144 4.2 The effect of changing power balances on the management of the common 159 4.3 Dealing with over and under-exploitation 163 4.4 Keeping it in common: the choice between collective and private property 168 4.5 Conclusions 169 5 Dealing with dilemmas: conclusions 172 Epilogue: The revenge of history?: The return of homo cooperans in present„-day„ western European countries 181 References 189 Archival references 203 Index 211 La 4ème de couv. indique : "One of the classic problems in social science is known as 'the dilemma of the commons', in which land, water, and other resources held jointly by social or economic segments tend to be depleted sooner and to a greater extent than privately held assets. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many aspects of western European society changed fundamentally, including the abolition of common-property rights, which in itself was related to social and economic shifts in that same society. This book intends to put the debate on commons, commoners, and the disappearance of both throughout early modern and modern northwestern Europe in a new light, through new approaches and innovative methodologies. Tine De Moor aims to link the historical debate about the long-term evolution of commons to the present-day debates on common-pool resources, as well as touching upon various disciplines within the social sciences that work on commons issues." One of the classic problems in social science is 'the dilemma of the commons', in which land, water, and other resources held jointly by social or economic segments tend to be depleted sooner and to a greater extent than privately held assets. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many aspects of western European society changed fundamentally, including the abolition of common-property rights, which in itself was related to social and economic shifts in that same society. This book looks at commons, commoners, and the disappearance of both throughout early modern and modern northwestern Europe. It links the historical debate about the long-term evolution of commons to the present-day debates on common-pool resources, as well as touching upon various disciplines within the social sciences that work on commons issues This book puts the debate on commons, commoners, and the disappearance of both throughout early modern and modern western Europe in a new light, through new approaches and innovative methodologies. Tine De Moor links the historical debate about the long-term evolution of commons to the present-day debates on common-pool resources.