//localhost:1313/research/ Recent content in Research Areas on Governance Ecologies Hugo en-us Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 //localhost:1313/research/ancient-democratic-practices/ Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 //localhost:1313/research/ancient-democratic-practices/ <h2 id="democracy-beyond-athens">Democracy Beyond Athens</h2> <p>While Athenian democracy is widely studied, many other societies throughout history have developed democratic and participatory governance systems. This research area examines these diverse models of democratic practice.</p> <p>Our research challenges the narrative that democracy is exclusively a Western invention, exploring participatory governance practices from:</p> <ul> <li>The Indian subcontinent, including the Sangha traditions and early republics</li> <li>Pre-colonial governance in Africa</li> <li>Mesoamerican and South American participatory systems</li> <li>Island societies of the Pacific</li> <li>Medieval European commons and guild structures</li> </ul> <h2 id="current-projects">Current Projects</h2> <ul> <li>Comparative study of sortition (selection by lot) across cultures</li> <li>Women&rsquo;s participation in ancient democratic systems</li> <li>Documentation of consensus processes in non-state societies</li> <li>Resource governance in ancient democratic systems</li> </ul> //localhost:1313/research/commons-governance/ Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 //localhost:1313/research/commons-governance/ <h2 id="governing-shared-resources">Governing Shared Resources</h2> <p>Throughout history, communities have developed sophisticated systems for managing shared resources. This research area explores these commons governance traditions and their relevance to contemporary challenges.</p> <p>Building on Elinor Ostrom&rsquo;s groundbreaking work, we examine:</p> <ul> <li>Long-lasting commons systems from different regions</li> <li>Institutional design principles for sustainable resource management</li> <li>Knowledge commons and cultural commons governance</li> <li>Digital commons and their governance structures</li> <li>The relationship between commoning practices and broader governance systems</li> </ul> <h2 id="current-projects">Current Projects</h2> <ul> <li>Alpine commons for forest and pasture management</li> <li>Irrigation systems governance across cultures</li> <li>Urban commons in historical perspective</li> <li>Historical seed and plant genetic resource sharing systems</li> <li>Traditional fisheries management</li> </ul> //localhost:1313/research/indigenous-governance/ Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 //localhost:1313/research/indigenous-governance/ <h2 id="indigenous-governance-traditions">Indigenous Governance Traditions</h2> <p>This research area focuses on governance practices from indigenous communities worldwide, exploring their approaches to consensus-building, resource management, conflict resolution, and leadership.</p> <p>Indigenous governance systems often embody principles that differ significantly from Western state models, including:</p> <ul> <li>Deep integration of governance with cultural and spiritual practices</li> <li>Emphasis on consensus rather than majority rule</li> <li>Responsibilities to non-human beings and future generations</li> <li>Distributed leadership models</li> <li>Oral traditions for encoding and transmitting governance knowledge</li> </ul> <h2 id="current-projects">Current Projects</h2> <ul> <li>Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy decision-making structures</li> <li>Aboriginal Australian consensus processes</li> <li>Andean ayllu governance systems</li> <li>Arctic indigenous resource management practices</li> </ul>