Institutional Entrepreneurship in a Contested Commons: Insights from Struggles Over the Oasis of Jemna in Tunisia

Recently, management literature has sought to examine the role of institutional entrepreneurs in the emergence of commons logic and in building consensus around its meaning. While the focus has been on new commons, not all are created ex nihilo. Some types of preexisting commons, known as contested...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of business ethics 2020-11, Vol.166 (4), p.673-690
Main Authors: Ben-Slimane, Karim, Justo, Rachida, Khelil, Nabil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arab Spring
Business administration
Business and Management
Business Ethics
Education
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship
Ethics
Humanities and Social Sciences
Institution building
Legitimacy
Management
Natural resources
Original Paper
Ownership
Philosophy
Quality of Life Research
Social construction
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Summary:Recently, management literature has sought to examine the role of institutional entrepreneurs in the emergence of commons logic and in building consensus around its meaning. While the focus has been on new commons, not all are created ex nihilo. Some types of preexisting commons, known as contested commons, often pose challenges that result in disagreements and conflicts with respect to their ownership, use, and management. These commons are a ubiquitous yet understudied phenomenon. In this paper, we use the case of the Tunisian Oasis of Jemna, pictured against the historical backdrop of the Arab Spring, to look at the institutional struggles that involve institutional entrepreneurs and the opponents of a contested commons. We identify two main strategies used by institutional entrepreneurs to frame the commons as a superior alternative: idealizing the commons and coalescing the community to harness its potential. We also highlight the heretofore neglected role of opponents, who engage in demonizing the commons to restore the competing logics of state or market. Finally, we unravel some of the conditions that allow for a temporary settlement of the contest, leading to what we term de facto commons.
ISSN:0167-4544
1573-0697
DOI:10.1007/s10551-020-04601-6