Category Archives: In other words
The Ethnographic Interview
In 2002, I read “The Ethnographic Interview” by JP Spradley (1979). It’s written very formally, but it gave me an excellent approach for how to do interviews. I was in Professor Roger Dunbar‘s “Management and Organizational Behavior” class at New … Continue reading
Design principles illustrated by long-enduring common-pool resource institutions
Elinor Ostrom was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for “her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons“. In her paper “Self-Governance and Forest Resources” she identifies when organizations should be governed as common pool resources, and what the governance principles are. … Continue reading
Checks, balances, and alternatives
In Ur, a person was responsible for his or her actions: “13. If a man is accused of sorcery he must undergo ordeal by water; if he is proven innocent, his accuser must pay 3 shekels. 14. If a man accused the wife … Continue reading
Equity
The Code of Ur-Nammu has a preface that tells how the people came to be united. It tells its core principles “of equity and truth…. equity in the land; he banished malediction, violence and strife” and sets measurements. It also … Continue reading
Eshnunna
“Laws of the town Eshnunna” is ‘democratic’ in these ways: It is written down, so the rules and relationships are explicit and publicly known. It summarizes the common values in the introduction: it shows how the people of Eshnunna are … Continue reading