Jesper Larsson is an assistant professor (Forskarassistent) in agrarian history and affiliated faculty to the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Keywords: Commons, Early Modern Period, Transhumance, Collective Action, Agriculture systems, Institutional change and dynamics, Property Rights.

Jesper Larsson's CV

Research area

For the next four years (2012 and onwards) my research will focus on collective action within agriculture practice in the Scandinavian countries during the early modern period (sixteenth century up to nineteenth century). The overarching question is how farmers and peasants solved social dilemmas and tried to avoid the tragedy of the commons. Important questions are; how institutions changed; what type of organizations peasants developed; implications for property rights; changes in labor division; and changes’ in agriculture practice, as well as collective action problems at various scales. I have also a research interest in animal husbandry, especially transhumance systems and the evolution of agriculture systems.

Selected publications

Blomkvist, Pär and Jesper Larsson 2013, An analytical framework for common-pool resource–large technical system (CPR-LTS) constellations, In International Journal of the Commons 7(1): 113-139.

Larsson, Jesper, 2012, “The Expansion and Decline of a Transhumance System in Sweden, 1550-1920”, In: Historia Agraria 56, pp. 11-39. http://www.historiaagraria.com/en/index.php

Larsson, Jesper, 2011, “The transformation of the summer farm: from backbone of North Swedish animal husbandry to experience tourism and branded products” In: H. Antonsson & U Jansson (Eds) Agriculture and forestry in Sweden since 1900 – geographical and historical studies, SOLMED 54, pp. 233-250. Stockholm, The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry.

Larsson, Jesper, 2010, “Messmör och mesost – väcker känslor och smaklökar”, In: Kreativa traditioner - mat med historia, Jämten 2011, Östersund, pp. 56-65, 187.

Larsson, Jesper 2009, Fäbodväsendet 1550 - 1920. Ett centralt element i Nordsveriges jordbrukssystem, Acta Universitatis agriculturae Sueciae 2009:51, Uppsala/Östersund, (English summary: Summer Farms in Sweden 1550 to 1920. An important Element in North Swedens’s Agriculural System), 432 pp. 

Miscellaneous

Jesper Larsson was the co-winner of The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities Young Scholars Award 2010 for best PhD thesis 2008-2009 and winner of Linnaeus award (Linnépriset) 2010 by Royal Science-Society in Uppsala (Kungl. Vetenskaps-Societeten i Uppsala) for best PhD thesis.