The Byzantine monastery as a commons

Abstract

Although scholars have paid increased attention to commons, most studies explore modern cases, disregarding historical commons. The analysis of the latter can contribute to understanding the long-term effects of past behaviours on future generations and provide inspiration for solutions to contemporary problems arising from similar social dilemmas. One historical commons that still exists is the Byzantine monastic institution. Drawing on historical sources and contemporary studies, the paper uses (a) historical institutional analysis, to outline the structure of the institution, and (b) the community design principles of successful commons, to explore whether the Byzantine monastery can be classified as a commons. We find that the Byzantine monastery was a successful case of a historical commons, which developed a credible governance structure to sustainably manage and preserve their common goods, both intangible and tangible, despite the lack of direct democratic processes that characterize modern commons.