Polycentric systems for coping with collective action and global environmental change
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Polycentric approaches potentially allow local user groups to devise locally appropriate rules, encourage experimentation and learning across jurisdictions, and enable mutual adjustment.
“Potential advantages of polycentric approaches include the ability of local user groups to devise locally appropriate rules (McGinnis & Walker, 2010); the encouragement of experimentation and learning across jurisdictions (Cole, 2015;Ostrom, 2010); and mutual adjustment (Galaz, Crona, Österblom, Olsson, & Folke, 2012;Koontz, Gupta, Mudliar, & Ranjan, 2015).”
From Collective action in a polycentric water governance system (2018) · cites this paper as Ostrom, 2010
Overlapping authority in polycentric systems allows decision centers to take account of each other through cooperation, competition and conflict resolution.
“The overlapping authority in polycentric systems allows decision centers to take account of each other through cooperation, competition and conflict resolution (Ostrom, 2010).”
From Collective action in a polycentric water governance system (2018) · cites this paper as Ostrom, 2010
Institutional variety, along with nested layers of organization, is a fundamental principle of polyarchy as described by Ostrom (2010).
“Institutional variety, along with nested layers of organization, is a fundamental principle of polyarchy as described by Ostrom (2010).”
From Design principles for global commons: natural resources and emerging technologies (2011) · cites this paper as Ostrom 2010
Institutional variety, along with nested layers of organization, is a fundamental principle of polyarchy as described by Ostrom (2010).
“Institutional variety, along with nested layers of organization, is a fundamental principle of polyarchy as described by Ostrom (2010).”
From Design principles for global commons: natural resources and emerging technologies (2011) · cites this paper as Ostrom (2010)
Solving climate change requires action at multiple nested levels, and involving multiple stakeholders responding to local conditions.
“Additionally, solving climate change requires action at multiple nested levels, and involving multiple stakeholders responding to local conditions (21).”
From A framework for localizing global climate solutions and their carbon reduction potential (2021) · cites this paper as [21]
Cites
A BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF RATIONAL CHOICE
Simon, H. A. (1955) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.2307/1884852 · Cited by 15,877 · see citing works
Altruistic punishment in humans
Fehr, E., & Gächter, S. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/415137a · Cited by 5,616 · see citing works
The Struggle to Govern the Commons
Dietz, T., Ostrom, E., & Stern, P. C. (2003) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1091015 · Cited by 4,209 · see citing works
Self-citationBehavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interaction
Camerer, C. F. (2003) · Cited by 3,801 · see citing works
Micromotives and Macrobehavior
Eaton, B. C., & Schelling, T. C. (1981) · Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d économique · doi:10.2307/134812 · Cited by 3,801 · see citing works
Rules, Games, and Common-Pool Resources
Остром, Э., Gardner, R., & Walker, J. (1994) · University of Michigan Press eBooks · doi:10.3998/mpub.9739 · Cited by 3,756 · see citing works
Rational Fools: A Critique of the Behavioral Foundations of Economic Theory
Sen, A. K. (1977) · Philosophy & Public Affairs · Cited by 3,157 · see citing works
States of Knowledge: The Co-production of Science and the Social Order
Jasanoff, S. (2004) · Cited by 2,942 · see citing works
The Organization of Government in Metropolitan Areas: A Theoretical Inquiry
Ostrom, V., Tiebout, C. M., & Warren, R. (1961) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055400125973 · Cited by 1,683 · see citing works
Managing the global commons: the economics of climate change
(1995) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.32-6292 · Cited by 1,551 · see citing works
Dietz, N. D. T., Ostrom, E., & Stern, P. (2002) · National Academies Press eBooks · doi:10.17226/10287 · Cited by 1,520 · see citing works
Self-citationHousehold actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions
Dietz, T., Gardner, G. T., Gilligan, J., Stern, P. C., & Vandenbergh, M. P. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0908738106 · Cited by 1,450 · see citing works
Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State
Rothstein, B. (1998) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511598449 · Cited by 1,403 · see citing works
Reputation helps solve the ‘tragedy of the commons’
Milinski, M., Semmann, D., & Krambeck, H.-J. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/415424a · Cited by 1,371 · see citing works
Halting Degradation of Natural Resources: Is There a Role for Rural Communities?Preprint
Baland, J., & Platteau, J. (2000) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 1,195 · see citing works
Combined climate and carbon-cycle effects of large-scale deforestation
Bala, G., Caldeira, K., Wickett, M., Phillips, T. J., Lobell, D. B., Delire, C., & Mirin, A. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0608998104 · Cited by 957 · see citing works
Social Traps and the Problem of Trust
Rothstein, B. (2005) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511490323 · Cited by 926 · see citing works
(2010) · Cited by 860 · see citing works
Local Government and the Governing of Climate Change in Germany and the UK
Bulkeley, H., & Kern, K. (2006) · Urban Studies · doi:10.1080/00420980600936491 · Cited by 712 · see citing works
A tractable model of reciprocity and fairness
Cox, J. C., Friedman, D., & Gjerstad, S. D. (2006) · Games and Economic Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.geb.2006.05.001 · Cited by 632 · see citing works
People and forests : communities, institutions, and governance
Gibson, C. C., McKean, M. A., & Остром, Э. (2000) · Cited by 581 · see citing works
The Short List: The Most Effective Actions U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Climate Change
Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (2008) · Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable Development · doi:10.3200/envt.50.5.12-25 · Cited by 528 · see citing works
Sandler, T. M. (2004) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511617119 · Cited by 497 · see citing works
Petersen, J. E., Shunturov, V., Janda, K., Platt, G., & Weinberger, K. (2007) · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · doi:10.1108/14676370710717562 · Cited by 433 · see citing works
Is the global carbon market working?
Wara, M. W. (2007) · Nature · doi:10.1038/445595a · Cited by 418 · see citing works
Polycentricity and Local Public Economies
(1999) · University of Michigan Press eBooks · doi:10.3998/mpub.16061 · Cited by 386 · see citing works
Mitigating Climate Change in US Cities: Opportunities and obstacles
Betsill, M. M. (2001) · Local Environment · doi:10.1080/13549830120091699 · Cited by 374 · see citing works
Statehouse and greenhouse: the emerging politics of American climate change policy
(2004) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.42-1869 · Cited by 370 · see citing works
A Demand-Centered, Hybrid Life-Cycle Methodology for City-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Ramaswami, A., Hillman, T., Janson, B. N., Reiner, M., & Thomas, G. (2008) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es702992q · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Greenhouse Gas Emission Footprints and Energy Use Benchmarks for Eight U.S. Cities
Hillman, T., & Ramaswami, A. (2010) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es9024194 · Cited by 317 · see citing works
Choosing justice: an experimental approach to ethical theory
(1993) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.30-2607 · Cited by 301 · see citing works
Mobile Flows, Storage, and Self-Organized Institutions for Governing Common-Pool Resources
Schlager, E. C., Blomquist, W. A., & Tang, S. (1994) · Land Economics · doi:10.2307/3146531 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
(1996) · University of Michigan Press eBooks · doi:10.3998/mpub.13808 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Beyond Kyoto: Climate Change Policy in Multilevel Governance Systems
Rabe, B. G. (2007) · Governance · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0491.2007.00365.x · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe 2006
Luderer, G. (2007) · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Sharing the burden of financing adaptation to climate change
Dellink, R., den Elzen, M. G. J., Aiking, H., Bergsma, E., Berkhout, F., Dekker, T., & Gupta, J. (2009) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.07.009 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Patterns of metropolitan policing
Остром, Э., Parks, R. B., & Whitaker, G. P. (1978) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Climate negotiations beyond Kyoto: developing countries concerns and interests
Najam, A. (2003) · Climate Policy · doi:10.1016/s1469-3062(03)00057-3 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
A Madisonian Approach to Climate Policy
Victor, D. G., House, J. C., & Joy, S. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1113180 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Cumulative CO 2 emissions: shifting international responsibilities for climate debt
Botzen, W. J. W., Gowdy, J. M., & van den Bergh, J. C. J. M. (2008) · Climate Policy · doi:10.3763/cpol.2008.0539 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Policy Instruments for Climate Change: How Can National Governments Address a Global Problem?Preprint
Stavins, R. N., & Stavins, R. N. (1997) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · doi:10.22004/ag.econ.10757 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Toonen, T. A. J. (2010) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02147.x · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Scaling the policy response to climate change
Sovacool, B. K., & Brown, M. A. (2009) · Policy and Society · doi:10.1016/j.polsoc.2009.01.003 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change
Entwisle, B., & Stern, P. C. (2005) · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Making the Global Local Responding to Climate Change Concerns from the Ground
Kates, R. W., & Wilbanks, T. J. (2003) · Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable Development · doi:10.1080/00139150309604534 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Baseline, leakage and measurement issues: how do forestry and energy projects compare?
Chomitz, K. M. (2002) · Climate Policy · doi:10.1016/s1469-3062(02)00011-6 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Climate change and forests: emerging policy and market opportunities
(2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.46-2082 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Intelligent Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency
Gershenfeld, N., Samouhos, S., & Nordman, B. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1174082 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Jurisdictional Mismatch in Environmental FederalismPreprint
Adler, J. H. (2005) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.770305 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Toward a Low-Carbon Economy: Municipal Financing for Energy Efficiency and Solar Power
Fuller, M. C., Portis, S. C., & Kammen, D. M. (2009) · Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable Development · doi:10.3200/envt.51.1.22-33 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Climate change: a rational choice politics view*
Brennan, G. (2009) · Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8489.2009.00457.x · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Cooperativeness and Impatience in the Tragedy of the CommonsPreprint
Fehr, E., & Leibbrandt, A. (2008) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.1214914 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Engel, K. H. (2006) · SSRN Electronic Journal · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Managing Carbon from the Bottom Up
Morgan, M. G. (2000) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.289.5488.2285 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
The Metropolis and the Maze of Local Government
Friesema, H. P. (1966) · Urban Affairs Quarterly · doi:10.1177/107808746600200205 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Climate Change and Collective Action
Cole, D. H. (2008) · Current Legal Problems · doi:10.1093/clp/61.1.229 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
California's Bold New Climate Policy
Goulder, L. H. (2007) · The Economists Voice · doi:10.2202/1553-3832.1286 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Governing the Global Environment
Carraro, C. (2003) · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Polycentric Systems of Governance: A Theoretical Model for the Commons
Carlisle, K., & Gruby, R. L. (2019) · Policy Studies Journal · doi:10.1111/psj.12212 · Cited by 745 · see citing works
The threat to climate change mitigation posed by the abundance of fossil fuels.
Johnsson, F., Kjärstad, J., & Rootzén, J. (2019) · Climate Policy · doi:10.1080/14693062.2018.1483885 · Cited by 543 · see citing works
Zelli, F., & van Asselt, H. (2013) · Global Environmental Politics · doi:10.1162/glep_a_00180 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Challenges to scenario-guided adaptive action on food security under climate change
Vervoort, J. M., Thornton, P. K., Kristjanson, P., Förch, W., Ericksen, P. J., Kok, K., Ingram, J. S. I., Herrero, M., Palazzo, A., Helfgott, A. E. S., et al. (2014) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.03.001 · Cited by 216 · see citing works
Design principles for global commons: natural resources and emerging technologies
Stern, P. C. (2011) · International Journal of the Commons · doi:10.18352/ijc.305 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Gruby, R. L., & Basurto, X. (2013) · Environmental Science & Policy · doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.06.006 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Cooperation in the Climate Commons
Carattini, S., Levin, S., & Tavoni, A. (2019) · Review of Environmental Economics and Policy · doi:10.1093/reep/rez009 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Collective action in a polycentric water governance system
Baldwin, E., McCord, P., Dell'Angelo, J., & Evans, T. (2018) · Environmental Policy and Governance · doi:10.1002/eet.1810 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Menezes, R. G., & Barbosa, R. (2021) · Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft · doi:10.1007/s12286-021-00491-8 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Sovacool, B. K., Hook, A., Sareen, S., & Geels, F. W. (2021) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102272 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Asaaga, F. A., Hirons, M. A., & Malhi, Y. (2020) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104913 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Hsu, A., Höhne, N., Kuramochi, T., Vilariño, V., & Sovacool, B. K. (2020) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101738 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
A framework for localizing global climate solutions and their carbon reduction potential
Brown, M. A., Dwivedi, P., Mani, S., Matisoff, D., Mohan, J. E., Mullen, J., Oxman, M., Rodgers, M., Simmons, R., Beasley, B., et al. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2100008118 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Gelcich, S. (2014) · Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems · doi:10.1002/aqc.2506 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
The need for stewardship of lands exposed by deglaciation from climate change
Zimmer, A., Beach, T., Klein, J. A., & Recharte Bullard, J. (2022) · WIREs Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.753 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Clark‐Ginsberg, A., Blake, J. S., & Patel, K. V. (2022) · Disasters · doi:10.1111/disa.12466 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Brown, M. A., Beasley, B., Atalay, F., Cobb, K. M., Dwiveldi, P., Hubbs, J., Iwaniek, D. M., Mani, S., Matisoff, D., Mohan, J. E., et al. (2021) · Environmental Management · doi:10.1007/s00267-020-01406-1 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Kapinga, A. G., & Landman, K. (2026) · City and Environment Interactions · doi:10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100359
- Authors
- Ostrom, E.
- Venue
- Global Environmental Change
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-10
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 550-557
- ISSN
- 0959-3780 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2130387153
- Cited by
- 2,460
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 336 · 2025: 221 · 2024: 143 · 2023: 204 · 2022: 176 · 2021: 192 · 2020: 197 · 2019: 188 · 2018: 175 · 2017: 147 · 2016: 107 · 2015: 106 · 2014: 99 · 2013: 86 · 2012: 47
- FWCI
- 126.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Global Environmental Change (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- World Bank Group
- European Commission
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › International Environmental Law and Policies
- Keywords
- polycentric governance, collective action, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, multi-level governance, policy experimentation, experiential learning
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
