Cooperation begins with common knowledge. Ostrom highlights several examples of successful common pool resource systems and shows how one of the key factors in getting people to work together is that they must have a way of sharing information.

In one example, looking at groundwater basins in California, the creation of a public forum became the basis for cooperative action. Having a space where users could share problems and brainstorm solutions together led to them seeing that working together was the best way forward.

I think what is important to highlight here is that in both private and government run systems, information is often kept from the public. This leads to a breakdown in trust where information is seen as a competitive edge or a means of control. I recall reading about Frederick Winslow Taylor and his pursuit of efficiency in factory work in which workers were kept ignorant to how the larger process worked. His theory was that workers didn't need to understand how their part fit into the larger whole for them to do their job. Knowledge was for a select privileged few.

But that breeds a very low trust environment. Cooperation requires trust, and trust requires treating information as a public good.