Author Archives: Peter Levine

Design principles for commons

Elinor Ostrom and colleagues have found that communities are more likely to succeed at producing and protecting common pool resources if they employ the principles listed below (as phrased in Levine 2022, drawing on E. Ostrom 1990 and E. Ostrom … Continue reading

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The Institutional Analysis and Design (IAD) Framework

Concept As stated on the Ostrom Workshop website: The Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework was designed by Ostrom and her colleagues from the Ostrom Workshop in 2005 to facilitate analysis of institution processes through which individual and collective choices … Continue reading

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The commons

The commons (sometimes more precisely known as “a common pool resource”) is a good or set of goods that is owned by a community, from a small group to the entire species. These goods can be highly tangible things, such … Continue reading

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Civic (the word and concept)

The word “civic” is, and has been, used in many ways. For some people, it can suggest a list of behaviors (such as voting, protest, or community service); a reference to a city (as in “The Pittsburgh Civic Arena”); civilian … Continue reading

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The ISAIAH Trash Referendum

The ISAIAH Trash Referendum by Peter Levine and Liz McKenna is a case study “about an organization in Minnesota called ISAIAH, a faith-based organization that works to expand the power and influence of people who have often been overlooked, especially poor people … Continue reading

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The Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Peter Levine is a case study about “a classic example of a social movement episode that accomplished its immediate goals despite severe obstacles. It catapulted the 26-year-old Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. into international prominence … Continue reading

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Building a Party with Activists: The Case of the Uruguayan FA

Building a Party with Activists: The Case of the Uruguayan FA by Verónica Pérez Bentancur, Fernando Rosenblatt and Rafael Piñeiro Rodriguez is a “case study is about the Frente Amplio (Broad Front, FA) in Uruguay, which began in 1971 as a coalition … Continue reading

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The Center for Popular Democracy’s Education Justice Campaign

“The Center for Popular Democracy’s Education Justice Campaign” is a case study by Dmitri Holtzman, Ben Kirshner, and Tafadzwa Tivaringe. It “explores dilemmas that arise for a network aiming to build a multigenerational movement for education justice, particularly through the … Continue reading

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Public Service–Spirited Media Takes on the Memory Wars

“Public Service–Spirited Media Takes on the Memory Wars” by Peter Pomerantsev is a case “about how you can challenge bitter, cross-partisan divides in a society where disputes over history are weaponized by political forces, and where opposing groups live in … Continue reading

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Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation

Everyday Democracy’s Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation “is a six-session discussion guide to help all kinds of people take part in meaningful dialogue to examine gaps among racial and ethnic groups and create institutional and policy change.”

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