Last Updated: 15 October 2001

IASCP intensifies its commitment to Diversification...

In August of 1999, the International Association for the Study of Common Property developed a Regionalization Program. The program is the result of a challenge we received from representatives of the Ford Foundation to further internationalize the IASCP. The executive council accepted this challenge and we began to develop plans to achieve our goal of true international participation and leadership. The first year was primarily one of planning. During this time, we explored various possibilities and identified ways to further diversify the organization through a regional perspective. In order to ensure that as many voices as possible were incorporated into the planning process, we took advantage of the opportunity to discuss the program with the more than 600 participants representing over 50 different countries at our June 2000 biennial conference in Bloomington, Indiana. Discussions were held both formally in regional panels and informally outside of panel sessions. As a result of these discussions, we were able to refine the program, its purpose, and identify specific goals.

Purpose

To achieve a more global participation by encouraging regional and grassroots involvement.

Goals

To expand conversations and broaden our range of networks between practitioners and academics within different parts of the world.

To develop a more efficient exchange of information among persons interested in commons research at the local levels.

To eliminate language barriers by supporting publications and information-sharing in local languages.

To create opportunities that will allow information to be shared faster and easier at local levels.

Activities

The goals of the Regionalization Program are accomplished through the following activities:

Developing networks electronically through regional list-serves and supporting the development of mirror sites;

Publishing a quarterly newsletter, theCommon Property Resource Digest, which features regional editors and articles that are translated into local languages. And, by developing regional bibliographies.

Organizing conferences & workshops that are based on local themes.

Regional Plans for 2001

IASCP networks include individuals from more than 100 countries around the world. Althouhg we do not restrict our regionalization activities to certain geogrpahic areas, there are certain areas that we would especially like to increase our presence in, these include: countries in West and Southern Africa, in Southern Asia, and in Latin America.

Africa
A West African network meeting was held in September 2001. Click here to see a copy of this report in FRENCH and here for ENGLISH

A list-serve is available for individuals interested in joining in on conversations specific to common concerns in countries in Africa. Bettina N'wego is the organizer of the list-serve. To subscribe:
1. Send a message to majdordomo@indiana.edu
2. In the body of the message type:
subscribe iascp_iascpafrica

Asia
In anticipation of the "Year of the Mountains," a regional workshop is being proposed for New Delhi, India in December 2001.

Latin America
Discussions about how to expand our activities in Latin American countries are ongoing. Proposed ideas include developing a regional list-serve, organizing a regional meeting, developing a mirror site, and publishing works on commons specific to issues that are most relevant in Latin American countries.

The Pacific
A two-day Pacific regional meeting was organized by John Sheehan, Native Title Spokesman at The Australian Property Institute, in Brisbane for September 2-4, 2001.

If you are interested in work related to the research or management of common property, we encourage you to become involved in our regional program. This is a grassroots effort, one that hinges on the participation of those who are usually at the periphery, we are committed to making sure that our efforts to expand are as inclusive as possible of a variety of perspectives.

If you are interested in becoming actively involved in our regionalization activities, please contact our Regionalization Coordinator, Michelle Curtain, at:

iascp@indiana.edu
PO Box 2355
Gary, IN 46409 USA
219-980-1433 (phone)
219-980-2801 (fax)