Vincent Ostrom

Vincent Alfred Ostrom (September 25, 1919 – June 29, 2012) was an American political economist and the Founding Director of the Ostrom Workshop based at Indiana University and the Arthur F. Bentley Professor Emeritus of Political Science.

He and his wife, the political economist Elinor Ostrom, made numerous contributions to the field of political science, political economy, and public choice.

The Ostroms made particular study of fragmentation theory, rational choice theory, federalism, common-pool resources and polycentrism in government.

He was married to Nobel Laureate and political scientist Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012) from 1963 until her death, which occurred shortly before his own.

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 a key consultant to the Alaska Constitutional Convention (1955–56) in the drafting of the Natural Resource Article of the Constitution of Alaska (Article VIII), which mandated that the state's resources were to be a public trust.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

The Ostrom Workshop research focuses on polycentrism, common-pool resources, and the roles of self-governance and collective action.

Earlier in his career, Ostrom had held faculty positions at the University of Wyoming, the University of Oregon, and UCLA.

In his 1973 book, The Intellectual Crisis in Public Administration, Ostrom outlines his observation of a breaking down of the intellectual foundation of public administration as formulated by Woodrow Wilson, 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.

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

Ostrom has written extensively on topics such as water usage policy, political economy, federalism, metropolitan government, and public choice.

His list of publications include greater than 120 journal articles, chapters in books and proceedings, monographs, and books.

A selection is noted below:

The Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization published a special issue, "Polycentric Political Economy: A Festschrift for Elinor and Vincent Ostrom", as the proceedings of a 2003 conference held in their honor, at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.