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Hackerspaces: a case study in the creation and management of a common pool resource

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2015

MICHAEL R. WILLIAMS  and
JOSHUA C. HALL
MICHAEL R. WILLIAMS*
Affiliation:
Olson, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA
JOSHUA C. HALL*
Affiliation:
College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
*
*Email: michael.roy.w@gmail.com
**Email: joshua.c.hall@gmail.com
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Abstract

Hackerspaces are community-operated physical places where individuals get together to build things. While the organization itself is private, the ‘space’ that is created for individuals to work has elements of a common pool resource (CPR). The previous literature finds technology to be important in effective CPR management. Through an ethnographic study of a hackerspace, we show how technology is crucial for management of the ‘space’. In addition, we highlight how technology is used in hackerspaces to satisfy three of Ostrom's design principles for stable CPR management.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Institutional Economics , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 769 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © Millennium Economics Ltd 2015 

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