To better understand how to solve large-scale social dilemmas such as common-pool resource management, this paper provides a interdisciplinary critical analysis of scholarship to reveal the vicious cycle we are currently mired in. It proposes that currentÂapproaches to promote
pro-environmental behaviourÂwill be limited in their efficacy without a preliminary change in the level of trust among individuals and the systems that purport to support them. It then advances a new focus on large-scale trust building, suggesting paths for future research and a new
direction for successful outcomes.
The ubiquity of hierarchical structure has resulted in scholars rarely focusing on its possible influence when investigating the motives and processes underlying collective action. In terms of efficiency, it is generally suggested that hierarchy is an easily accessible way of thinking, low effort, and perhaps unavoidable. The article builds on scholarship pertaining to three unique models that challenge the prevailing hierarchical structure: hunter-gatherer societies, open source projects, and transitiontown initiatives. By linking the individual, collective, and organizational levels, the article suggests that in the social arena, a shift away from the prevailing hierarchical structure would result in sustainable collective action and greater potential for a cooperative society. The article offers a theoretical framework for self-organizing decentralized open systems (SODOS), prescribing the necessary conditions that effect a significant shift in human motivation stemming from the interpersonal dynamic. Avenues for implementation of the suggested framework are discussed.
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