Elinor Ostrom. Press conference with the laureates of the memorial prize in economic sciences 2009 at the KVA. wikipdeia 
Elinor Ostrom (1933 – 2012) was an American political economist whose work was associated with the New Institutional Economics wiki 
and the resurgence of political economy. In 2009, she shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for "her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons". wikipedia
Elinor Ostrom delivered her Nobel Prize Lecture December 2009 at Aula Magna, Stockholm University. video
Her topic: Beyond Markets and States:
Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems.
By Elinor Ostrom. pdf ; see also: polycentricity
Response to Michael Madison, Brett Frischmann, and Katherine
Strandburg on
the study of commons in cultural environments. Elinor Ostrom. pdf
One of her key contributions to commons theory are the Eight Design Principles for Commons Institutions. It is often asked, if these principles also apply in a digital context.
But the same way so called "traditional commons" do, also Free Software projects will be more successful (not be abandoned prematurely) if … they have systems in place that provide for the monitoring of operational rules. … they have some level of graduated sanctions for people who break established rules. … they have rule enforcers whose judgments are deemed effective and legitimate.