Cooperazione, partecipazione, fiducia: i Restorative Circles per la governance dei beni comuni = Cooperation, participation, trust: Restorative Circles in governing common goods

Abstract

Cooperation, participation, trust: Restorative Circles in governing common goods. In order to avoid the so-called tragedy of commons, Ostrom proposed an alternative approach to the classical state control vs. privatization dichotomy in governing common goods; it is based on the idea that appropriators can co-operate and safeguard common goods without the control of an external institution. In this perspective, understanding which are the conditions that promote cooperation instead of individualistic behaviors is necessary. Among other variables, trust in other group members is very important in cooperative strategies; when referring to groups involved in decision-making processes, the swift trust is often mentioned: it is a form of trust occurring in temporary structures, which is mostly based on cognitive components and stereotypical expectations, it is very quick but also very fragile. In this paper, the method of Restorative Circles is presented; it is a method of group facilitating, used in USA restorative justice and in neighborhood decision-making groups. It is proposed to use Restorative Circles in the governance of common goods, in order to promote a form of trust quicker than ordinary trust, but stronger than swift trust, because it is based on a deeper knowing of other group members. Restorative Circles could be effective in promoting participation, trust among participants and between participants and local institutions, rendering commons’ governance easier and more efficient