Bloomington Township in Monroe County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Elinor Ostrom

(1933 - 2012)

Photographed by Daniel Barriball, June 16, 2026

1. Elinor Ostrom Marker

Inscription.

I was deeply interested in how institutions were initially crafted, and then how they affected the incentives and outcomes of human interactions in many settings.

Elinor "Lin" Ostrom was a global leader in the multidisciplinary arena of political economics, property rights, and collective action. In 1965, she earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at UCLA, and began her IU career. She co-founded the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis with Vincent Ostrom in 1973 to further interdisciplinary teaching and research about institutions and collective action. Her book, Governing the Commons (1990), demonstrated not only that local groups can successfully work together to manage and sustain shared resources but how. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2001, she became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, for her groundbreaking analysis "of economic governance, especially the commons" in 2009.

Erected 2019 by Indiana University.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.

Location. 39° 10.079′ N,

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86° 31.207′ W. Marker is in Bloomington, Indiana, in Monroe County. It is in Bloomington Township. It can be reached from East 7th Street near North Forrest Avenue. This marker stands on the south side of Woodburn Hall just to the east of the entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1037 E 7th Street, Bloomington IN 47405, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Integrating Basketball (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles Clayton Morrison (about 700 feet away); Rabbi Abraham Cronback (about 700 feet away); Ernie Pyle (about 700 feet away); Father James Martin Gilles (about 700 feet away); Melanie S. Walker (approx. 0.2 miles away); Class of 1941

Elinor Ostrom Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Daniel Barriball, June 16, 2026

2. Elinor Ostrom Marker in context

(approx. 0.2 miles away); Original Memorial Stadium (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bloomington.

Also see . . . Elinor Ostrom: An Uncommon Scholar. Voices From the IU Bicentennial

In her Nobel lecture, Ostrom spoke of the complex relationships within and between communities and institutions:

There’s a five-letter word I would like to repeat and repeat and repeat: Trust…We must learn how to deal with complexity rather than rejecting it. And we should not be proposing panaceas.

(Submitted on June 27, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)

Elinor Ostrom Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Daniel Barriball, June 16, 2026

3. Elinor Ostrom Statue

This statue of Elinor Ostrom is located about 25 feet (8 meters) away from the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 27, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.