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.
Daniel Cole is a professor of Law and Public and Environment Health at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University. The interview begins with Cole explaining how he first met Elinor Ostrom at the Ostrom Workshop and became more familiar with her through a cooperative forestry group and conferences which eventually led to Cole joining the Workshop Advisory Council. He speaks of Elinor Ostrom as a teacher, personal and professional experiences with the Ostroms, and team building in the Ostrom Workshop. Cole tells of the personal conversations he had with Elinor Ostrom in the hospital and how humorous and warm she was. He discusses what he think Ostrom's favorite time of the week was, the Workshop colloquium. The discussion ends with Cole talking about the book he and Elinor Ostrom wrote titled "Property in Land and Other Resources".