The work of Lin and Vincent Ostrom established the Bloomington School as a force at the core of modern
institutional analysis and public choice by focusing attention on the power of human creativity to solve
collective human dilemmas. Lin and Vincent were willing to use the abstract methods and language of public
choice theory, but their appreciation of human capability and self-governing always kept them solidly
grounded in real world decision-making. It was their need to be empirically grounded that enriched their contribution.
As a result, their work speaks to a broader audience, but the message is not always well- understood
in these broad contexts. In this presentation, I will consider how the Ostroms’ work established a focus on
the foundation of self-governance and its dual notion (both participation and individual responsibility) as
an essential part of modern institutional analysis. I hope that exploring their contributions will suggest best
methods for ensuring that this part of the Bloomington School continues to shape scholarship in public policy
and public choice.
During this discussion we might consider several questions: First, how might we use the work of the
Bloomington School to understand the source of shared norms and institutions and the role that each plays
in a free society? Second, how are such norms/institutions impacted by a growing reliance on larger or more
distant government policies? Do such policy trends limit the relevance of the Ostrom approach or instead
does this enhance its importance? Third, where can the contributions of the Ostroms be most eff ective in
designing best institutions for a self-governing society and what limitations might such an approach encounter?
Finally, what type of program or grant might be designed to ensure that the ideas of the Bloomington
School have a prominent place in this debate?
