BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Community Lab will host a mixer and discussion titled, “Encouraging sustainable communities: Insights from public goods and common-pool resource economics” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the Lost Dog Café Violet Room, 222 Water Street in Binghamton. This event is free and open to the public. At 6 p.m., participants are welcome to purchase an optional self-pay dinner.

Guest speaker Robert Holahan, assistant professor of Environmental Studies at Binghamton University received his Ph.D. in Political Science working with Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom at Indiana University in 2011. His current research projects include an examination of property rights in oil and gas leases, a cross-state comparison of policies related to fracking, and a cross-national study of how and why political parties take positions on issues related to environmental policy.

Public goods and common-pool resources are all around us. Ranging from city parks and police patrols (public goods) to urban gardens and public water delivery (common pool resources), these two types of economic goods are available for everyone’s use and exemplify some of the most desirable qualities residents seek when choosing which neighborhood to live in. This Community Lab will explore these types of shared economic goods and discuss ways in which communities have had success (or failure) in improving the delivery of such goods to local residents. Key to the discussion will be in exploring ways in which governments, like city councils and state legislatures, can complement and reinforce the efforts of local governance, like neighborhood associations and grassroots volunteerism.

The Binghamton Community Lab is a gathering place for citizen investigators to create and support improvements that will grow a healthier, wealthier and stronger Binghamton region. The series, held regularly on the third Tuesday of each month will be facilitated by David Sloan Wilson, SUNY distinguished professor of biology and anthropology at Binghamton University and founder of the Binghamton Neighborhood Project, and David Currie, director of the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition.

For additional information, contact Hadassah Head at hhead1@binghamton.edu.