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.
Leticia Merino is a researcher with a Doctorate of Anthropology specializing in agrarian studies. Merino opens the interview by discussing her personal background and how her background in forestry led her to Elinor Ostrom's book Governing the Commons . Merino met Ostrom in Mexico through Gustavo Gordillo, a mutual colleague. Merino was asked to go through the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) program at the Ostrom Workshop, which she did, and became more involved after taking the course. Merino goes onto discuss collaborating with Ostrom through IFRI and the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC). She reflects on her friendship with Ostrom through a discussion of Ostrom's visit to a climate change conference in Mexico. The interview closes with a discussion on the 2012 Planet Under Pressure Conference in London where Ostrom was a keynote speaker.