"This will undoubtedly be a very popular, much-assigned, and much-cited magnum opus."--Carl Simon, University of Michigan

"What emerges from Elinor Ostrom's book is precisely what the title suggests---an understanding of the diverse nature of institutions that exist in human societies to promote human cooperation or to hinder it. This is a significant work by one of the most thoughtful social scientists in the world and it will attract a large number of readers and enlighten them."--Peter Boettke, George Mason University