In her groundbreaking book Governing the Commons, Elinor Ostrom convincingly demonstrated that communities are fully capable of managing shared resources. From fish stocks and communal grazing lands in the past to car parks, bridges, and even shared digital systems today, effective governance does not necessarily depend on profit motives or government bureaucracy.
Community-based initiatives are all around us: energy cooperatives, healthcare cooperatives, food collectives, residents’ groups, and cooperative enterprises. Active citizens contribute not only their time and commitment, but also creativity, innovation, and local knowledge. Yet institutional frameworks still tend to privilege state-led or market-based solutions when it comes to governing public goods.
This course asks how we can create more space for societal initiatives, cooperatives, and other community-led forms of governance in contemporary sustainability transitions. Under what conditions can communities successfully co-govern and thrive alongside state and market actors? Through theoretical insights and in-depth case studies in areas such as energy, food, care, housing, and community currencies, students will explore the potential and limitations of community governance.
The course includes contributions from dedicated organisations in the Arnhem–Nijmegen region and professionals in community building, as well as excursions co-organised with local initiatives, offering participants hands-on exposure to real-world practices of the commons.
Learning objectives
- Understand the key social, institutional, and economic conditions that enable successful community-led initiatives.
- Gain an overview of the legal frameworks, rules, and regulations shaping community involvement in the energy transition.
- Critically discuss and debate the institutional changes needed to create more space for communities within sustainability governance.
- Analyze the roles of communities in relation to state and market actors, drawing on theories of the commons and co-governance.
- Apply theoretical insights to real-world cases from the Nijmegen–Arnhem region through excursions and engagement with practitioners.
- Reflect on the opportunities and challenges of scaling up and sustaining community-based initiatives.
- Communicate insights about the diversity and societal value of community initiatives to a broader audience, including friends, family, and fellow students.
