Vincent Ostrom

Vincent Ostrom graduated from Mount Baker High School in Deming, Washington (1937), and attended Los Angeles City College (1938–1940). He received a B.A. in political science (1942) and a M.A (1945) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received his Ph.D from UCLA in political science in 1950. He was married to Nobel Laureate and political scientist Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012) from 1963 until her death, which occurred shortly before his own.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9329881/Elinor-Ostrom.html|title=Elinor Ostrom|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=13 June 2012|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=12 January 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9329881/Elinor-Ostrom.html|url-status=live}}

Ostrom began working at Indiana University in 1964 as a Professor of Political Science and co-founded the university's Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis with his wife and colleague, Elinor Ostrom. The Ostrom Workshop is committed to the collaborative engagement of faculty, students, and scholars, with a mission of advancing "the interdisciplinary study of institutions, incentives, and behavior as they relate to policy-relevant applications."{{cite web|url=http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/about/mission.php|title=The Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis|publisher=Indiana.edu|access-date=2012-07-06|archive-date=2012-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704184217/http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/about/mission.php|url-status=live}} The Ostrom Workshop research focuses on polycentrism, common-pool resources, and the roles of self-governance and collective action.(2005) P. J. Boettke and C. J. Coyne. Methodological individualism, spontaneous order and the research program of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 57 (2), pp. 145–158. Earlier in his career, Ostrom had held faculty positions at the University of Wyoming, the University of Oregon, and UCLA. He was a key consultant to the Alaska Constitutional Convention (1955–56) in the drafting of the Natural Resource Article{{Cite web|url=http://ltgov.alaska.gov/services/constitution.php?section=8|title=Section 8: Natural Resource Article|access-date=2009-11-16|archive-date=2009-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026001945/http://ltgov.alaska.gov/services/constitution.php?section=8|url-status=dead}} of the Constitution of Alaska (Article VIII), which mandated that the state's resources were to be a public trust.{{cite web|author=Elizabeth Bluemink|url=http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/971399.html|title=Pioneering Nobel Prize winner influenced Alaska|publisher=Adn.com|access-date=2012-07-06|archive-date=2009-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228054038/http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/971399.html|url-status=live}}

Ostrom served on the editorial board for journals such as American Political Science Review (1957–1960), Public Administration Review (Editor-in-Chief, 1963–1966), Publius: The Journal of Federalism (1972–2005), Constitutional Political Economy (1989–2012?), and International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior (1997–2006).{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiana.edu/index.html|title=Indiana University Bloomington|website=Indiana University Bloomington|access-date=2022-03-25|archive-date=2022-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326002158/https://www.indiana.edu/index.html|url-status=live}}

Ostrom's work can be summarized as seeking to understand the decision-making process of individuals and the balance between group and individual interests. This study involves attention to what drives human behavior (altruism or self-interest), the effect of institutions and rules on individual and group behavior, and how institutions transform and are transformed by individuals.C. C. Gibson. In pursuit of better policy outcomes. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 57 (2), pp. 227–230. (2005)

Ostrom co-developed (with Charles Tiebout and Robert Warren) and refined the concept of polycentricity in public administration – or multiple, formally independent decision-making centers within a system of government.(1961) V. Ostrom, C. M. Tiebout, and R. Warren. The organization of government in metropolitan areas: a theoretical inquiry. American Political Science Review, Vol. 55, pp. 831–842. He proposed that quasi-market conditions (i.e. competition) between decision centers would increase flexibility and responsiveness. In contrast to hierarchical frameworks, polycentrism removes government from the focal point of ultimate knowledge and authority.(2005) R. E. Wagner. "Self-governance, polycentrism, and federalism: recurring themes in Vincent Ostrom's scholarly oeuvre." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 57 (2), pp. 173–188.

Ostrom was recognized for advancing rational choice theory and democratic administration not only as a means for understanding bureaucratic behavior and the provision of public services, but as a distinct theory of public administration.(2003) H. G. Frederickson and K. B. Smith. The Public Administration Theory Primer. Westview Press: Boulder, Colorado, 279p. Rational choice theory of administration, Ostrom argued, provides a balance and foundation for public administration based on the democratic principles of the U.S. Constitution. In his 1973 book, The Intellectual Crisis in Public Administration,(1973) V. Ostrom. The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration. University of Alabama Press: Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ostrom outlines his observation of a breaking down of the intellectual foundation of public administration as formulated by Woodrow Wilson,(1887) W. Wilson. The study of administration. Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 2 (2), pp. 197–222. concisely, the concentration of power centers in government and the separation of the will of the state (policy) from administration. He noted increases in citizen involvement in decision processes and the broad diffusion of power. A democratic administration has a more heterogeneous, "bottom, up" character in contrast with ordered, trickle-down hierarchies. Ostrom considered the hierarchical order, accountable to a single center of power, less capable of serving the diverse needs among citizens and coping with diverse conditions, and less cost efficient than a polycentric administration. Fragmentation of authority among decision centers within a jurisdiction and the overlapping of jurisdictional authority are key to advancing human welfare and a stable political order.(1973) V. Ostrom. The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration. University of Alabama Press: Tuscaloosa, Alabama.(1977) R.T. Golembiewski. A critique of "Democratic Organization" and its supporting ideation. The American Political Science Review. Vol. 71 (4), pp. 1488–1507.

Ostrom was honored for his excellence and contributions to the field of public policy:

• 1991 – The Daniel Elazar Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Political Science Association for his lifetime of contributions to the study of federalism and intergovernmental relations.
• 1999 – The Martha Derthick Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association, which is awarded for books published at least ten years prior with lasting contributions to the study of federalism and intergovernmental relations. Note: See Publications.
• 2003 – The Robert O. Anderson Sustainable Arctic Award from the [http://www.institutenorth.org Institute of the North] for his contributions in drafting the [http://ltgov.alaska.gov/services/constitution.php?section=8 Natural Resource Article] of the [http://ltgov.alaska.gov/services/constitution.php Alaskan Constitution].
• 2003 – The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation for his contributions to the [http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/ Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007083917/http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/ |date=2009-10-07 }} (co-recipient with Elinor Ostrom).
• 2005 – The John Gaus Distinguished Lecturer Award from the American Political Science Association for his lifetime of exemplary scholarship in political science and public administration.
• 2010 – Co-recipient (with Elinor Ostrom) of The University Medal (2010), Indiana University.

Ostrom has written extensively on topics such as water usage policy, political economy, federalism, metropolitan government, and public choice. His [http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/people/vincent_ostrom.pdf list of publications] include greater than 120 journal articles, chapters in books and proceedings, monographs, and books. A selection is noted below:

• Water and Politics: A Study of Water Policies and Administration in the Development of Los Angeles. Los Angeles: [http://www.haynesfoundation.org The Haynes Foundation], 1953
• {{cite journal |author1 = Ostrom, Vincent |author2= Ostrom, Elinor |title= A Behavioral Approach to the Study of Intergovernmental Relations Elinor Ostrom |journal =The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |issue= 359 |date= May 1965 |pages= 137–146 |doi= 10.1177/000271626535900115 |jstor=1035116|s2cid= 153347659 }}
• Understanding Urban Government: Metropolitan Reform Reconsidered with Robert Bish. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1973
• "Religion and the Constitution of the American Political System". Emory Law Journal 39(1) (Winter 1990), pp. 165–190
• {{cite book |title= The Meaning of American Federalism: Constituting a Self-Governing Society |place= San Francisco |url= https://archive.org/details/meaningofamerica0000ostr/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater |url-access = registration |publisher= Institute for Contemporary Studies Press |year= 1994 |isbn= 9781558153936 |via = Internet Archive}}
• "Epistemic Choice and Public Choice." Public Choice 77(1) (September 1993), pp. 163–176
• "The Quest for Meaning in Public Choice," with Elinor Ostrom. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology 63(1) (January 2004): pp. 105–147 [http://www.blackwellsynergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=synergy&synergyAction=showTOC&journalCode=ajes&volume=63&issue=1&year=2004&part=null. Online]
• {{cite book |title= The Political Theory of a Compound Republic: Designing the American Experiment |edition = 3rd |place= Lanham, MD |publisher= Lexington Books |year= 2008}} 1st ed. 1971; [https://archive.org/details/politicaltheoryo0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater 2nd ed. 1987]
• {{cite book |title= The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration |year=1974 |place= |publisher= University of Alabama Press |isbn=9780817348175 |url= https://archive.org/details/intellectualcris00ostr_0|url-access= registration}}
• {{cite book |title= The Meaning of Democracy and the Vulnerability of Democracies: A Response to Tocqueville's Challenge |year= 1997 |url= https://archive.org/details/meaningofdemocra0000ostr/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater |url-access= registration |place= Ann Arbor |publisher= University of Michigan Press}}
• Rethinking Institutional Analysis and Development ([1988] 1993, with David Feeny and Hartmut Picht)
• {{cite book |title= Local Government in the United States |year= 1988 |author1= Ostrom, Vincent |author-link2 = Robert Bish |author2= Bish, Robert |author3-link= Elinor Ostrom |author3 = Ostrom, Elinor |url=https://archive.org/details/localgovernmenti0000ostr/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater |url-access= registration |via= Internet Archive}}
• The Quest to Understand Human Affairs: Natural Resources Policy and Essays on Community and Collective Choice, vol. 1 (2011, edited by Barbara Allen)
• The Quest to Understand Human Affairs: Essays on Collective, Constitutional, and Epistemic Choice, vol. 2 (2012, edited by Barbara Allen)

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• {{cite book |last1=Aligica |first1=Paul Dragos |editor-first=Ronald |editor-last=Hamowy |editor-link=Ronald Hamowy |title=The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yxNgXs3TkJYC |chapter-url=https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/libertarianism/n225.xml|year=2008 |publisher=Sage; Cato Institute |location=Thousand Oaks, CA |doi=10.4135/9781412965811.n225 |isbn=978-1412965804 |oclc=750831024 |lccn=2008009151 |page=368 |chapter=Ostrom, Vincent and Elinor (1919– and 1933– )}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• [https://www.idsnews.com/article/2012/07/shortly-after-death-of-wife-vincent-ostrom-dies "Shortly after death of wife, Vincent Ostrom dies", by Jake New, July 1, 2012, The Indiana Daily Student]
• [http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/22741.html Announcement of Death by Indiana University]
• [https://ostromworkshop.indiana.edu/ Ostrom Workshop]
• {{Internet Archive author |sname= Vincent Ostrom}}

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Category:1919 births

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Category:American political scientists

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Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

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