How did institutions for collective action evolve over centuries?
Merchant guilds – ca. 1050 – 1795
Merchants within a city strengthened their position towards the authorities by joining forces. Read more.
Craft guilds – ca. 1150 – 1795
About a century after merchants started to cooperate, craftsmen adopted the same strategy. Read more.
Commons – ca. 1150 – 1800
Farmers set rules for common grazing areas, thus creating common lands for the benefit of the entire community. Read more.
Beguinages – ca. 1200 – 1850
Also called the female guilds. Women found work in the growing cities. For security reasons, many single women opted for a cooperative form of housing. Read more.
Waterboards – ca. 1250 – present
Land owners and land users worked together to keep their feet dry. Together, they built and maintained dikes, sluices, windmills and other water infrastructure. Read more.
This page is under construction. The timeline will be expanded further.