About IASC

At the global level, the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) is the leading professional association dedicated to the study of the commons. By bringing researchers from different disciplines together with practitioners and policymakers, the association aims to improve general understanding of shared resources (commons) and provide sustainable solutions for related issues.

IASC’s goals are to

• Encourage exchange of knowledge among diverse disciplines, world areas, and resource types
• Foster mutual exchange of scholarship and practical experience
• and, Promote appropriate institutional design.

The Association’s work on the functioning of natural resource commons has been instrumental in refuting the notion of an inevitable “tragedy of the commons” through careful analysis of the factors that influence the management of these resources. More recently, IASC has started to explore new areas of research that includes, work on knowledge, culture, health, global resources and other new commons areas. The association has been instrumental in organizing biennial conferences since 1991 across the countries. So far 12 such conferences have been organized. The upcoming conference has been planned in India in January 2011.

The opportunity to host the conference in India is timely to counter and dispel notions where common lands are being projected as ‘wastelands’ and are being diverted for alternate land use. The collective expertise that the Association can mobilize, from over 90 countries, contributes to policy debates of global importance. Whether the issue is intellectual property, network neutrality, global warming, land reform, legal empowerment of the poor, or reforming the international financial system, commons research and lessons from working in and with commons regimes are important in shaping governance systems that will benefit as many people as possible while preserving the resource at hand for future generations.

Participation in IASC is open to any individual or institution interested in the study of the commons.

To know more about IASC or apply for membership visit: www.iasc-commons.org