Silke Helfrich und Elinor Ostrom: „Selbstorganisation ist Trumpf“.Helfrich, Silke und Felix Stein: Was sind Gemeingüter? – Essay, URL: https://www.bpb.de/apuz/33206/was-sind-gemeingueter-essay (Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 2011) Zwei starke Frauen hinterlassen ein inspirierendes Werk

The death of Silke Helfrich is the reason for writing this article to remind us of her literary legacy. This inevitably requires us to have a look at the œuvre of Elinor Ostrom, the first woman who received the Nobel Prize in Economics. Very early Ostrom showed how social groups responsibly and effectively manage, use and sustain their common resources. She found her case examples in nature and the environment, and so made an essential contribution to effectively protecting the environment. Moreover, Silke Helfrich analysed processes of commoning as a special social structure which is supported by relations. These social structures ensure the appropriation and usage of common resources or goods. The idea is to overcome the thinking only in terms of market or state alternatives in order to create a coequal area of solidarity economic activity. The closeness to forms of co-operatives is shown.