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Institutional Entrepreneurship in a Contested Commons: Insights from Struggles Over the Oasis of Jemna in Tunisia

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Abstract

Recently, management literature has sought to examine the role of institutional entrepreneurs in the emergence of commons logic and in building consensus around its meaning. While the focus has been on new commons, not all are created ex nihilo. Some types of preexisting commons, known as contested commons, often pose challenges that result in disagreements and conflicts with respect to their ownership, use, and management. These commons are a ubiquitous yet understudied phenomenon. In this paper, we use the case of the Tunisian Oasis of Jemna, pictured against the historical backdrop of the Arab Spring, to look at the institutional struggles that involve institutional entrepreneurs and the opponents of a contested commons. We identify two main strategies used by institutional entrepreneurs to frame the commons as a superior alternative: idealizing the commons and coalescing the community to harness its potential. We also highlight the heretofore neglected role of opponents, who engage in demonizing the commons to restore the competing logics of state or market. Finally, we unravel some of the conditions that allow for a temporary settlement of the contest, leading to what we term de facto commons.

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Notes

  1. More detailed description of the data can be found in Online Appendix.

  2. Retrieved from https://www.leaders.com.tn/article/17207-ghannouchi-nous-ne-laisserons-personne-reveiller-les-demons-et-defendrons-l-etat on the 1st of August 2018.

  3. Retrieved from https://www.jeuneafrique.com/364408/politique/tunisie-dattes-de-discorde-entre-letat-habitants-dune-oasis/ on the 1st of August 2018.

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Acknowledgements

Research Reported in this paper was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Grant No. ECO2015-66146-R.

Funding

This study was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Grant No. ECO2015-66146-R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISC Paris, 22 bd du Fort de Vaux, 75017, Paris, France

    Karim Ben-Slimane

  2. IE University, Calle Alvarez de Baena 4, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Rachida Justo

  3. Center for Research in Economics and Management, Université de Caen Normandie, Esplanade de la Paix, 14032, Caen, France

    Nabil Khelil

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  1. Karim Ben-Slimane
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Correspondence to Rachida Justo.

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Ben-Slimane, K., Justo, R. & Khelil, N. Institutional Entrepreneurship in a Contested Commons: Insights from Struggles Over the Oasis of Jemna in Tunisia. J Bus Ethics 166, 673–690 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04601-6

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