"Design and Dynamics of Institutions for Collective Action", Utrecht (Pays-Bas), 29 nov-1 dec

Du 29 novembre jusqu'au 1er décembre 2012, une conférence se tiendra à l'Université d'Utrecht sur ​​le thème de la conception et la dynamique des institutions d'action collective . La conférence aura lieu en l'honneur du professeur Dr Elinor Ostrom. Les chercheurs de toutes les sciences sociales, y compris l'histoire, sont invités à présenter des communications sur les "communs" et l'évolution des institutions d'action collective dans une perspective comparative.

Among the questions that will be addressed are:

The regulation of institutions for collective action, e.g.: How do rules evolve? What sanctioning systems are used? How is social control stimulated via regulation?

The dynamics of institutions for collective action, e.g.: What explains institutions’ resilience and why do some fail? What is the role of institutional design? What is the role of internal malfunctioning, and when and why may it emerge? How do such institutions cope with supra-local forms of pressure and interference?

The emergence of institutions for collective action, e.g.: What kind of problems do Institutions for collective action try to solve? What has been the role of Institutions for collective action across history in contributing to environmental sustainability and communities’ survival? Which role do they play in contemporary less-developed regions? Can Institutions for collective action contribute to reduce the risks of social and economic exclusion in times of economic crisis?

Institutions for collective action, the market and the state, e.g. Which is the interaction between Institutions for collective action, top-down state management and markets? Are there complementarities between them or is it mainly a conflictive relationship? Can Institutions for collective action provide new ideas regarding the institutional re-design necessary for firms and states to cope with new 21st-century challenges?

Institutions for collective action and internal factors, e.g. what is the influence of factors such as group size and group heterogeneity on the functioning of Institutions for collective action?

Institutions for collective action and external factors. How do institutions for collective action interact with exogenous factors such as inheritance patterns, economic development (a.o. market integration), population pressure etc., e.g.: Which exogenous factors influence the emergence of such institutions? What is the effect of exogenous shocks on such institutions? Do crises (economic, social, environmental) have long-lasting effects on the regulation of institutions?

Practical information

The conference will take place from November 29 - December 1, 2012 in Utrecht (The Netherlands). The cost of accommodation and meals for selected paper presenters will be provided for by the organization; there will be no conference fee for selected paper presenters. A limited number of travel grants will be available for selected paper presenters (if you need a travel grant, please mention this when submitting the abstract). Paper proposals (of approx. 1,500 words) should be sent before the 1st of July. Please submit your abstract or show your interest in participating in this conference via this link. For further practical issues, you can contact us at collective-action@uu.nl.

Selected participants will be informed before the 10th of September. All selected paper presenters are expected to deliver their papers 2 weeks in advance, in order to allow all participants sufficient time to prepare the meeting. All submitted papers will be posted online on the conference website. Details about the possibility to attend the conference without presenting a paper will be made available at the conference website at a later stage.

This workshop is made possible by funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement n° 240928) as part of the project '"United we stand". The dynamics and consequences of institutions for collective action in pre-industrial Europe' and funding from the Dutch Council for Scientific Research (NWO) for the project 'Common Rules. The regulation of institutions for managing commons in Europe, 1100 - 1800'. For information on both projects, see: http://www.collective-action.info/_PRO_Main.