I was excited about what I learned while listening to Juan Camilo Cárdenas on a podcast, discussing Elinor Ostrom's work. Her insights on governing shared resources inspired a thought: how would she argue for the benefits of public goods in the age of Ethereum?

Ostrom often used examples from nature to illustrate her points. Imagine a forest, shared by a community. Instead of a single authority managing it, the local community members collectively take care of it. They decide on harvesting, replanting efforts, and protection against overuse. This shared responsibility ensures the forest thrives.

Now, translate this to the digital realm with Ethereum. Instead of relying on centralized entities, Ethereum is managed by its users through decentralized structures like DAOs. Each participant has a voice in decisions about protocols, mirroring the community governance Ostrom defined in her famous book, Governing the Commons.

In this decentralized ecosystem, Ethereum acts like that community-managed forest. Users collaborate to maintain and improve the network, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. This approach ensures the platform remains resilient and adaptable with the community’s needs.

Just as a forest thrives under collective care, Ethereum flourishes through decentralized management, proving that public goods, when managed by the people, can sustain and grow. Like an infinite garden.