Commons and Ocean

Polynesian lagoons are part of economic, environmental and social networks that are highly complex, particularly given the interactions between different actors who do not necessarily share the same interests. The traditional practice of rahui is a system of periodic non-exploitation used in Polynesian society which is today undergoing a certain revival. It has some similarities to what Nobel prize winning economist Elinor Ostrom has called the Common Pool. One of the aims of this book is to examine the relationship between this tradition and new forms of management of the lagoon through the concept of the commons. The book is made up of six chapters. The first two are focused on the rahui in ancient Tahiti, and its return in modern times. The next three focus on case studies and the learnings that can be drawn from them from the point of view of commons management. The final chapter looks at the technical operationality of the notion of the Common Pool in French Polynesia and raises the question of environmental financing.

Tamatoa Bambridge is Director of Research at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). As an anthropologist with the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE) on Mo'orea, his work focuses on legal pluralism in the area of land and property rights, traditional knowledge relating to biodiversity, and contemporary governance practices for marine spaces in Oceania.

François Gaulme has a Doctorat d'Etat ès Lettres, and is an ethnohistorian. He is a Research Associate with the African Centre of the Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI). A former editor-in-chief of the journals Marchés tropicaux et méditerranéens and Afrique contemporaine, he has also served with the Agence Française du Développement (AFD) and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (Development Section).

Christian Montet is Emeritus Professor in Economic Sciences at the University of French Polynesia, and a member of the research groupe GDI (Gouvernance et Développement Insulaire, Governance
and Island Development). His preferred research areas are competition economics, appliedmicro-economics and international economics.

Thierry Paulais is an economist. His research interests include development economics, infrastructure and local collectivit financing, urban development and housing policy, the economic viability of investments and all aspects of project development and management. He has worked for a number of engineering firms, for the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, and for the Agence française de développement (AFD)