When Elinor Ostrom was awarded the Nobel Prize for economic sciences in 2009, more than a few people took notice. Not only was she the first woman to receive this honor, some would claim she was a relative unknown in the economics profession.
 
Dr. Ann Mari May, professor of economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration, and her colleague Dr. Gale Summerfield of the University of Illinois, were very interested in Ostorm’s work and in 2011, they interviewed her. Recently published in the journal Feminist Economics, the interview took place less than a year before she died in June 2012 at the age of 78.
 
“Rather than working on research that some have viewed as outside economics, Ostrom’s work is actually central to the field and goes to the heart of what another Nobel laureate George Akerlof has called the ‘missing matter’ in economics,”May said.
 
Ostrom’s research focuses on social norms and examines the ways in which members of communities act not only in self-interest, but also collectively as problem-solvers. This research brought Ostrom to examine various types of goods, such as common-pool resources, that do not fit into the dichotomy of private versus public goods.
Her work is unique in utilizing a variety of methodological approaches not typically used by economists. Ostrom encourages methodological pluralism in research and stresses the need for fieldwork and lab experimentation.

May believes the interview shows how Ostrom’s work transcended academic disciplinary boundaries and demonstrates the benefits in doing so. May claims Ostrom’s work opened the door to a wider range of scholarship in the field of economics.
 
“Ostrom’s approach is consistent with the work of scholars that are moving into complexity theory – an approach that focuses on relationships rather than grand mathematical theorizing,” she said. “This approach is a stepping stone to better examination of gender issues as well.”
 
May and Summerfield were interested to learn how Ostrom negotiated being a woman in male dominated fields. As a young student, Ostrom was discouraged from pursuing mathematics when she was in school, and therefore, faced barriers to making her way into economics. She chose instead, to pursue her Ph.D. in political science and do work in what she herself refers to as political economy. This approach has had its costs.
 
“The departmental structure where existing scholars interpret what counts as scholarship can be a problem of sorts, especially where interdisciplinary research is concerned,” May said. “Interdisciplinary scholarship helps to remove entrenched disciplinary structures and fosters innovative approaches in a variety of disciplines.” However, as Ostrom would understand, being a woman and engaging in research that challenges the status quo in both methodological terms and in terms of content, makes finding a space in academe challenging.
 
Another key message by Ostrom was the importance of grant funding. She was clear to indicate the important role that outside support for her research from organizations like the National Science Foundation  had been.
 
“These agencies will play crucial roles in supporting the research of scholars whose work transcends disciplines. This is incredibly important for women who often work in such areas,” May said. Published: April 30, 2013