Boettke, Peter J.Tarko, Vlad2015-07-292015-07-292015https://hdl.handle.net/1920/9655The dissertation overviews and elaborates the concept of polycentricity, and applies it to two cases. Spontaneous order plays an important role in many non-market systems. But not all spontaneous orders are productive or sustainable. The concept of polycentricity aims to describe the productive subset of spontaneous orders, including both markets and non-market forms of organization. Broadly speaking, a polycentric system of governance is a collection of heterogeneous decision centers acting independently, but under a common system of rules and/or norms limiting negative externalities and free riding. The role of the overarching set of rules or norms is to assure that the spontaneous order is indeed productive and sustainable.142 pagesenCopyright 2015 Vlad TarkoEconomicsPolitical ScienceCorporate social responsibilityEconomics of scienceFederalismInstitutional economicsManagementDissertation