Who is Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics

Throughout history, the economy was not a space allowed for women. However, in recent decades there have been cases of figures who changed this paradigm and managed to leave their mark on world economic history.

Such is the case of Elinor OstromAmerican economist and political scientist who dedicated his entire life to economic research and studies, an effort that resulted in one of the most valuable awards in the world.

An economist far from being traditional, a thesis and a revelation

Elinor Ostrom was born on August 7, 1933 in Los Angeles, United States. Crossed by the Great Depression and member of a working family, Ostrom From a very young age she was linked to the most important political and economic events in history.. In fact, she knitted scarves for soldiers who were in battle during World War II.

At a school in Beverly Hills he was introduced to critical thinking, and In 1954 he graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).. Thus he became the first person in his family to graduate from university.

In search of work, she found positions in typing and shorthand, two fields that were intended for women at that time. She got a job as deputy personnel director for a company, although she continued with her studies; Against the views that disapproved of her high intellectual status for a woman, Ostrom He obtained his master’s degree and doctorate in Political Science, again at UCLA, in 1962 and 1965.respectively.

Thanks to a seminar given by Vincent Ostrom -whom she would marry a year later- led her to become interested in shared natural resources. A study of a groundwater basin in Southern California completely surprised her when she realized the actions people in that jurisdiction were taking to solve the problem together.

That was the first page he wrote on the subject. In 1965Elinor and Vincent moved to Bloomington, Indiana. There it became Professor of United States Administration. Furthermore, the two created the Political Theory and Policy Analysis Workshopwhich would attract researchers from many fields.

This team started study police organization and police services in 80 metropolitan areasa project that lasted 15 years, and which concluded that having a large volume of troops does not make the work they do better, and that police services were often provided in the form of cooperation networks, which guaranteed public safety, by exceeding their jurisdictions.

His publications include: Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (1990), Understanding Institutional Diversity (2005), Linking the Formal and Informal Economy: Concepts and Policies (2006) and Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice (2007).

Ostrom was one of the most prominent scholars in the area of ​​shared resources or common goods. In fact, in 2009 became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on this topic, and how these resources can be successfully managed by those who use them most, as opposed to the State. This highlighted her as an economist with non-traditional ideas.

Just three years after the milestone, Ostrom died at 78 from pancreatic cancer.. However, her legacy as a woman and as an economist remains valid, with research that sought to improve people’s quality of life.