Collegiate Times

A researcher for Virginia Tech has become the first woman to be awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Elinor Ostrom, 76, was awarded the honor along with Oliver E. Williamson, professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

As a researcher for the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program, Ostrom set out with a team to examine how policy reforms in varying communities around the world affect forest sustainability and survivability for forest users.

Working with a $1.2 million grant issued by Tech from January 2006 to December 2009, Ostrom has worked in Uganda, Kenya, Mexico and Bolivia. Tech's Office of International Research, Education and Development is managing the program.

Ostrom analyzed different government and policy systems in varying communities that are all dependent on the health of forestry for survival.

Her research included interviewing the actual members of the communities to understand their needs and concerns as forest users, and further, measuring the health of the forests and the forests' economic returns to the people.  

In determining what government policies will best protect and sustain the health of forests while efficiently regulating their use, Ostrom and her team found that the gains of resource management and ownership vary greatly between local and centralized government control in differing communities.

"Ultimately, the team discovered there is no 'universal best policy' that will work for all communities," said Theo Dillaha, program director.

He has traveled to Southeast Asia and Latin America with Ostrom.  

By taking into account the livelihood of the forests and the history of the people who use them, Ostrom's team is able to develop and propose policies in varying communities that affect positive management of resources, and subsequently reduce and resolve resource conflicts.

While some areas work well with strong, centralized government policies to manage resources, others are promoting the decentralization of government control to give the local people greater ownership of resources - something that often times results in a greater protection of the resources.

"A large reason for exploitation of resources," Dillaha said, "is due to the insecurities of forest users due to (experiencing) inconsistent resource management policies."

Ostrom still shows no signs of stopping.

"Her team has this incredible respect and love for her," Dillaha said.

He also said Tech offered her the grant because of her incredible work in this field of study.