This project centers around interviews with professional and/or personal acquaintances of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom. Every interview explores a unique relationship with the Ostroms and the continuing impact of the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University. Elinor (Lin) and Vincent Ostrom founded the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis in 1973.The Ostrom Workshop has been the catalyst for worldwide collaboration in the field of public policy and environmental issues. "Coming Together" is an interdisciplinary exploration of the legacy and impact of Elinor (Lin) and Vincent Ostrom. Major topics include; academia, "the commons", cross-disciplinary collaboration, Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize, the Ostrom Workshop, political science, political theory, and the Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop (WOW) conference. The project was created to assist in the dissertation research of Sara Catherine Clark, who was a doctoral candidate within the School of Education, pursing a Ph.D. in History, Philosophy, and Policy in Education, at Indiana University Bloomington. Sara Catherine Clark's dissertation was completed in 2019 and is cited as follows: Clark, S. C. (2019). Elinor ostrom: A biography of interdisciplinary life.
Dr. Paul Dragos Aligica is a professor in the Economics Department in Politics and Economics at Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Dragos Aligica first met Elinor and Vincent Ostrom at the Workshop but was familiar with their work before arriving there. He discusses the way academic institutions work and the way the Ostroms didn't conform to those rules. Later he discusses collaborating with the Ostroms through the Ostrom Workshop. Dragos Aligica also recalls Elinor Ostrom as a teacher and her humor. He goes on to discuss how the Ostroms intellectual lineage will be looked at in the future. The interview concludes with talk about the Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop (WOW) Conference and a more in-depth talk about the Ostrom Workshop.
Xavier Basurto is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Science within the division of Marine Science Conservation at Duke University. Basurto met Elinor Ostrom through Edella Schlager, a professor at University of Arizona. After finished his PhD he applied for a postdoc position at the Ostrom Workshop, which he was accepted to. Basurto later talks about Elinor Ostrom's influence and his participation in the Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop (WOW) Conferences.
Robert Bish is Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria. Bish first met Vincent Ostrom when he enrolled in Ostrom's PhD class, public administration. Later, Bish met Elinor Ostrom when she visited a class taught by Vincent Ostrom. Later Bish discusses the both Elinor and Vincent's research, their generosity and the Public Choice Society.
The American Foundations Oral History Project consists of a series of interviews with prominent American philanthropists, each of whom relates their background, the development of their values, and their philosophies of philanthropy. The purpose and state of American philanthropy, including those family foundations and corporate foundations, form a central topic, as do the recent trend of increasing diversity and opinions on grant evaluation and philanthropic assessment. In addition, many interviewees comment on the role of government in philanthropy and the system of ethics at play in American philanthropy.
Richard Lyman, president of Stanford University and president of the Rockefeller Foundation, discusses his background, education, and career, and his views on philanthropy. Specifically, he speaks extensively about the Rockefeller Foundation, the ideal characteristics of foundation leaders, diversity, philanthropic ethics, and both the positive and negative aspects of grant evaluation. Lyman also speaks of foundations in general and the health of American foundations.