ABOUT RESILIENT RULES
Resilient Rules embarks on an ambitious journey to decode the vital role of institutional diversity in enhancing agricultural resilience, paving the way for new approaches to navigating global changes
“Institutional diversity is as important as biological diversity for human survival.”
Elionor Ostrom, first woman
to win a Nobel in Economic Sciences
UNDERSTANDING:
Institutional Diversity
The Legacy of Elinor Ostrom Inspired by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, Resilient Rules explores the essence of institutional diversity within small-scale agricultural systems. Ostrom’s groundbreaking work challenged the conventional wisdom, demonstrating that sustainable resource management is rooted in diverse, community-specific institutions, beyond mere private ownership or governmental oversight.
The Frameworks We Build Institutions here refer to the elaborate frameworks of rules, norms, and strategies that communities create and follow to collectively manage shared resources. Ostrom’s “design principles” illuminate the fundamental traits of effective community-based management, underscoring the critical role of diverse institutional arrangements in bolstering ecosystem resilience and ensuring human survival, particularly amid global challenges like climate change.
Our work not only honors her legacy but also pushes the boundaries of our understanding of socio-ecological resilience.
THE UNCHARTED:
Discovering the Depths
Our understanding of biological diversity offers a detailed blueprint for ecosystem resilience, yet our grasp of institutional diversity reveals a gap. We are propelled by questions about the scope of institutional diversity, the factors shaping it, and its evolutionary trajectories. Investigating these dimensions is vital for understanding institutional diversity’s impact on the resilience of socio-ecological systems.
UNVEILING RESILIENCE
Our work is dedicated to understanding the role of this diversity in enhacing long-term resilience and promoting the sustainable management of natural resources, with the hope of charting new paths for navigating global changes.
01 Global patterns
By systematically examining how different institutional arrangements correlate with factors such as climate variability, land use practices, and socio-economic conditions, we aim to uncover underlying patterns that can inform more resilient agricultural practices.
02 Evolution
Through a comprehensive analysis of case studies, we seek to identify the mechanisms through which agricultural institutions adapt, innovate, and sometimes transform in the face of climatic changes, technological advancements, and shifting societal values.
03 Long-term resilience
By evaluating the effectiveness of various governance models in sustaining agricultural productivity, ecosystem health, and community well-being, our goal is to highlight strategies that significantly contribute to the long-term resilience of farming communities.
ONGOING PROJECTS
ERC Consolidator Grant (2022-2027)
Resilient Rules is a 60-month research project funded under the European Research Council’s Horizon Europe program. The project’s primary goal is to develop an interdisciplinary research program focused on studying the evolution of institutional diversity in agricultural systems from around the world. It aims to understand how this diversity contributes to long-term resilience in the face of global changes. The project officially began on September 1st, 2022, and is coordinated by the University of Zaragoza in Spain. The total funding for the project is €2,627,380.00, entirely provided by the European Union. The project is set to conclude on August 31, 2027.
