Urbani izziv Volume 29, No. 1, June 2018
: 96-109
(Articles)
UDK: 347.218.2:364.614.8(497.4)
doi: 10.5379/urbani-izziv-en-2018-29-01-004
Author
Mateja ŠMID HRIBAR
Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
mateja.smid@zrc-sazu.si
Jani KOZINA
Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
jani.kozina@zrc-sazu.si
David BOLE
Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
david.bole@zrc-sazu.si
Mimi URBANC
Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
mimi.urbanc@zrc-sazu.si
Title
Public goods, common-pool resources, and the commons: The influence of historical legacy on modern perceptions in Slovenia as a transitional society
Abstract
This article aims to study and clearly define the terms public good, common-pool resources, and the commons. Using path dependency analysis, interviews, and workshops among the general public and experts, we highlight the perception of public goods and the commons in Slovenia as a transitional society. The analysis reveals that the general public’s understanding of these terms is still strongly influenced by communist socialist-era emphasis on social justice, equality, and access to goods for everyone, which can be at odds with the right to private property. Inadequate governance of goods that are considered public goods, but are in fact common-pool resources, can lead to conflicts and degradation of common-pool resources, which results in the loss of advantages providing wellbeing. Because people’s lives depend on subtractable natural resources, it is necessary to raise awareness about them among the general public and professional community, emphasize their vulnerability, and explain that they cannot be accessible to anyone in unlimited quantities. Furthermore, in an international context, using the Slovenian case, we seek to improve the understanding of human behaviour and expectations concerning public goods and common-pool resources in post-communist transitional societies.
Key Words
public good, common good, common-pool resources, the commons, common property, space, governance, management, transitional society, Slovenia