Workshop renamed to honor researchers’ career

The Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis was renamed to honor Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Friday. The name change was approved by the IU Board of Trustees.

The Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis unites scholars and researchers to investigate how human behavior is shaped by institutions and incentives, and to analyze how public policy affects people’s lives.

Workshop research rests primarily in self-governance, democratic reform and collective action in the context of sustainability.

“Lin and Vincent are true IU treasures, and their work has had a significant impact on this university for decades,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in a press release.

“The workshop they founded and have led for almost 40 years has provided invaluable insight on the intersection between human behavior and the institutions they create and has influenced public policy in many areas. Naming the workshop in their honor is a fitting recognition of their contributions to IU and society.”

Elinor Ostrom was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics and was recently named to the Time 100, Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Vincent Ostrom has served as a fellow of the Social Science Research Council and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and he contributed to the drafting of the Alaska Constitution.  

— Nona Tepper