Common Rules. The regulation of institutions for managing commons in Europe, 1100 - 1800

This database is created to enter, store, and analyze data on commons throughout Europe. It focuses on two kinds of data:- general data on the commons (name, location, population, natural environment, et cetera). These data are being gathered from a wide range of sources, such as compendiums, atlases, archival documents, et cetera. - data on the regulation of these commons. These data come from either original archival sources (such as the markeboeken for the Dutch commons) or from transcribed sources. The source texts are included in the original language (Dutch, Spanish, English) as well as in English translation. <br>For comprehensive information on used techniques, methodology, and choices made, consult the code book.<br>Background: The project 'Common Rules. The regulation of institutions for managing commons in Europe, 1100 - 1800' aims to understand how efficient and effective regulation can be developed, executed by well-functioning institutions. It focuses on commons, a certain type of institution that used collective action as a method to create economies of scale and to avoid risks—both natural and market-related, and to restrict outsiders from accessing scarce resources. Commons were created for the collective management and use of natural resources and could limit the impact of harvest failures due to unpredictable weather, floods, or diseases, while they saved on investments in, for example, fencing and drainage systems. Understanding the regulations of institutions for collective action is a key-aspect of the links between macro-social-economic changes and the day-today functioning of those institutions.

本数据库旨在录入、存储并分析全欧洲范围内的公地（commons）相关数据，重点涵盖两类内容：
其一为公地基础信息数据，包含公地名称、地理位置、人口规模、自然环境等相关内容，数据正从汇编手册、地图集、档案文献等多种渠道采集获得；
其二为公有资源规制相关数据，此类数据既源自原始档案文献（如荷兰公地所用的markeboeken），也来自转录后的资料。所有源文本均保留原语言（荷兰语、西班牙语、英语）版本，并附带英文译稿。

若需了解所采用的技术路径、研究方法及相关决策细节，请查阅代码手册（code book）。

背景说明：本项目名为《共同规则：1100-1800年欧洲公地管理机构的规制实践》，旨在探究如何通过运转良好的公共机构制定并推行高效且有效的规制方案。项目聚焦公地制度——一类以集体行动为手段，实现规模经济、规避自然与市场双重风险，并限制外部主体获取稀缺资源的公共管理机构类型。公地制度的设立初衷是实现自然资源的集体管理与使用，能够缓解因极端天气、洪涝或疫病等不可预测因素导致的收成歉收影响，同时可节省围栏、排水系统等设施的建设投入。探究集体行动管理机构的规制逻辑，是理解宏观社会经济变迁与这类机构日常运转之间关联的核心环节。