Benkler

Building a definition of the commons

Rough approach at a definition of a commons: a resource governed by a (more or less) defined population exerting symmetric control over its use through a series of (more or less) defined rules in order to provide free and predictable access for that population to that resource.

Symmetric control

• each member has symmetric control over how the resource is used
• no arbitrary system of permission
• rules, when instituted, are instituted equally among all users
• no member given privileged access
• no actor can legally act upon another by his or her will

System of rules

• commons can be distinguished from each other along two axes: closed/open, regulated/unregulated
• the regulations of the commons can be formal or norm-based
• calls on the common pool rarely measured very strictly
• constraints on commons resources may be social, legal, or regulatory

Free (as in freedom) and predictable access

• free for all, predictable for all (this comment is later contradicted. Seems he wants to say, rather that commons are priced equally for all members)
• guarantees certain degree of freedom and predictability of access to resources

Open membership

• only requirement seems to be that you need to want to participate in it
• there is a (more or less) well defined population that has a say over how the resource is going to be used
• motivations for contributions seem irrelevant
• commons often need common purpose

Different in kind from markets

• resources of commons often rival resources in market. Difference is freedom and predictability of access
• commons not necessarily the most efficient use of resources
• however, there are predictable conditions for when commons more efficient than markets
• more likely than other forms of production to identify the person best suited for the job
• better able than markets to allocate small quanta of resources
• possibility of commons regimes is dependent on technology

Self-organizing, self-sustaining

• clustering of attention / resource use within a commons provides structure and accreditation
• within information commons, so long as the information is easily share-able, a navigable order will likely appear
• for information commons to survive and thrive, might need substantial background knowledge
• commons often create a sense of common purpose
• commons often perceived as less secure than enclosed systems

Consequences of the commons

• within the sphere of public information, more expansive commons almost certainly improve human autonomy rather than undermine it

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