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IU professor is first woman to receive international prize
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University political science professor Elinor Ostrom is the first woman to receive the Johan Skytte Prize from Uppsala University, Sweden. The prize of approximately $50,000 is one of the largest in the social sciences. It will be presented in a ceremony at Uppsala on Oct. 2 in conjunction with a symposium, "The Future of Democracy," where Ostrom will be the featured speaker.
An expert in analyzing the governance and management of natural resources, Ostrom was awarded the prize for her profound empirical and theoretical analysis of the nature of collective action and rational choice.
Among her many publications, "Governing the Commons" (1990) is considered a modern classic. In it, she argues that neither the state nor the market has been uniformly successful in solving common pool resource problems. The book features an analysis of communal interests in land, irrigation communities and fisheries, and it includes alternative solutions.
Ostrom has taught at IU since 1965. In addition, she is co-director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis and co-director of the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change, both at IU.
"I was particularly pleased to receive this prize as it represents the recognition of years of hard work conducted by many people associated with the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis," Ostrom said. "I dedicate this prize to my mentors, colleagues and students."
Ostrom will contribute the prize money to the IU Foundation to support the de Tocqueville Endowment for the Study of Human Institutions. This endowment supports several aspects of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, including graduate student scholarships and a visiting faculty program.
Active in a number of professional organizations, Ostrom has served as president of the American Political Science Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, the Public Choice Society and the International Association for the Study of Common Property. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.
(Jen McCormick, 812-855-5393, jenmccor@indiana.edu)