Edella Schlager
- Professor, School of Government and Public Policy
- Professor, Natural Resources
- Associate Professor, School of Geography and Development
- Professor, Global Change - GIDP
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
Contact
- (520) 621-5840
- Social Sciences, Rm. 317
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- schlager@arizona.edu
Biography
Schlager’s research focuses on collective action dilemmas, how people attempt to resolve them through the creation and design of institutional arrangements, and how the interaction between institutional design and context affects performance. More specifically, she studies watershed governance, primarily in the US, and how individual water users, as well as local and regional governments, collaborate to create different forms of regional governance for transboundary resources. Director of the School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona, 2019-present. Serves on a National Science Foundation Review Panel, 2020-present. Editor-in-chief of Policy Studies Journal, 2014-2019. Awards include: the Elinor Ostrom Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Political Science Association, 2022; recognized as one of the top 25 most cited scholars in the field of public policy/public administration, 2019.Degrees
- Ph.D. Political Science
- Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Work Experience
- University of Arizona (1996 - 2009)
- University of Arizona (1990 - 1996)
Awards
- Senior Research Fellow
- Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, Spring 2015
- John Schwarz Outstanding Faculty Award
- School of Government and Public Policy, Spring 2014
Interests
Teaching
environmental policy, climate change policy, public policy, federalism
Research
comparative institutional analysis of diverse governing arrangements for surface and groundwater; institutional adaptation to climate change impacts, especially droughts
Courses
2024-25 Courses
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Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2025) -
Dissertation
POL 920 (Fall 2024) -
Formation Public Policy
PA 480 (Fall 2024) -
Norms & Job Market
POL 697C (Fall 2024) -
Norms & Research
POL 697B (Fall 2024) -
Professional Norms & Teaching
POL 697A (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
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Federalism
POL 606 (Spring 2024) -
Ldrshp/Ethics:Non-Prof/Pub Mng
PA 527 (Spring 2024) -
Independent Study
PA 699 (Fall 2023)
2021-22 Courses
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Public Policy Theories
POL 600 (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2021) -
Global Climate Change
PA 461 (Spring 2021) -
Dissertation
PA 920 (Fall 2020) -
Independent Study
POL 699 (Fall 2020)
2019-20 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2020) -
Climate Change: Sci, Pol & Sec
PA 561A (Fall 2019) -
Dissertation
PA 920 (Fall 2019) -
Dissertation
POL 920 (Fall 2019)
2018-19 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2019) -
Federalism
POL 606 (Spring 2019) -
Independent Study
PA 699 (Spring 2019) -
Climate Change: Sci, Pol & Sec
PA 561A (Fall 2018) -
Dissertation
PA 920 (Fall 2018) -
Environmental Policy
HWRS 581 (Fall 2018) -
Environmental Policy
PA 581 (Fall 2018) -
Environmental Policy
POL 581 (Fall 2018) -
Environmental Policy
RNR 581 (Fall 2018) -
Honors Thesis
PA 498H (Fall 2018) -
Independent Study
PA 699 (Fall 2018)
2017-18 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2018) -
Global Climate Change
PA 461 (Spring 2018) -
Independent Study
PA 699 (Spring 2018) -
Climate Change: Sci, Pol & Sec
PA 561A (Fall 2017) -
Dissertation
PA 920 (Fall 2017) -
Public Policy Theories
POL 600 (Fall 2017)
2016-17 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2017) -
Federalism
POL 606 (Spring 2017) -
Climate Change: Sci, Pol & Sec
PA 561A (Fall 2016) -
Dissertation
PA 920 (Fall 2016) -
Environmental Policy
HWRS 581 (Fall 2016) -
Environmental Policy
PA 581 (Fall 2016) -
Environmental Policy
POL 581 (Fall 2016) -
Environmental Policy
RNR 581 (Fall 2016)
2015-16 Courses
-
Dissertation
PA 920 (Spring 2016) -
Global Climate Change
PA 461 (Spring 2016) -
Independent Study
PA 599 (Spring 2016)
Scholarly Contributions
Books
- Schlager, E. -., Engel, K., & Rider, S. (2011). Navigating Climate Change Policy: The Opportunities of Federalism.. University of Arizona Press.More info;Your Role: I am the lead editor of the volume. As lead editor I wrote the introduction, the section introductions, and the conclusion. I also convened an authors meeting, and I worked closely with the development editors and authors to ensure common language and quality across chapters. ;Collaborative with faculty member at UA: Yes;
Chapters
- Schlager, E., & Heikkila, T. (2018). Investigating Compliance at the Macro Level: The Case of US Interstate River Compacts. In Contextualizing Compliance in the Public Sector: Individual Motivations, Social Processes, and Institutional Design.
- Schlager, E., & Sugg, Z. (2018). Participation of stakeholders and citizens in groundwater management: the role of collective action. In Advances in Groundwater Governance.
- Schlager, E., & Cox, M. (2017). The IAD Framework and the SES Framework: An Introduction and Assessment of the Ostrom Workshop Frameworks. In Theories of the Policy Process. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
- Sugg, Z., Ziaja, S., & Schlager, E. (2019). Conjunctive Water Management. In Essentials of Texas Water Resources, 6th edition.
- Tarko, V., & Schlager, E. (2016). The Faustian Bargain: Powersharing, Constitutions, and the Practice of Polycentricity. In Governing Complexity: Analysing and Applying Polycentricity.
- Schlager, E. (2016). Climate Variability and Adaptive Capacities of Intergovernmental Arrangements: Encouraging Problem Solving and Managing Conflict. In Western Water Policy and Planning in a Variable and Changing Climate. Taylor and Francis.
- Schlager, E. -. (2015). Governing Boundaries: Exclusion, Essential Resources, and Sustainability. In Governing Access to Essential Resources. Columbia University Press.
- Schlager, E., & Weible, C. (2015). Narrative Policy Framework: Contributions, Limitations, and Recommendations. In The Science of Stories: Applications of the Narrative Policy Framework in Public Policy Analysis.
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2014). Water Scarcity, Conflict Resolution, and Adaptive Governance in Federal Transboundary River Basins. In Federal Rivers: Managing Water in Multi-Layered Political Systems. Edgar Elgar Press.More info;Your Role: Primary author;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;
- Schlager, E., Ostrom, E., & Cox, M. (2014). The Institutional Analysis and Development Framework and an Introduction to the Social-Ecological System Framework. In Theories of the Policy Process. Westview Press.
- Schlager, E. -. (2011). Acting in Concert: Regional Efforts Among States to Address Climate Change. In Navigating Climate Change Policy: The Opportunities of Federalism. Navigating Climate Change Policies: The Opportunities of Federalism, edited by Edella Schlager, Kirsten Engel, and Sally Rider. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.More infoThe chapter is based on original research that I conducted. ;Your Role: I am sole author of the chapter;
- Schlager, E. -., & Bauer, C. (2011). Governing Water: Institutions, Property Rights, and Sustainability. In Treatise on Water Science. Elsvier.More info;Your Role: Lead author;Collaborative with faculty member at UA: Yes;
Journals/Publications
- Schlager, E., & Olivier, T. (2021). Rules and the ruled: understanding joint patterns of institutional design and behavior in complex polycentric systems. Policy Studies Journal.
- Schlager, E., Herzog, L., & Ingold, K. (2021). Prescribed by Law and Therefore Realized? Analyzing Rules and Their Implied Actor Interactions as Networks. Policy Studies Journal.
- Beland, D., & Schlager, E. (2019). Policy Feedback in Public Policy Research: Looking Backward, Moving Forward. Policy Studies Journal.
- Zipper, S., Whitney, K., Deines, J., Befus, K., Bhatia, U., Albers, S., Beecher, J., Brelsford, C., Garcia, M., Gleeson, T., O'Donell, F., Resnick, D., & Schlager, E. (2019). Balancing Open Science and Data Privacy in the Water Sciences. Water Resources Research.
- Schlager, E. (2017). Moving Beyond the Boundaries? Exploring Nexus Among Public Policy, Public Management, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Studies Fields. Policy Studies Journal, 45(1), 4-21.
- Schlager, E., Cosens, B., Craig, R., Hirsch, S., Arnold, T., Benson, M., DeCaro, D., Garmestani, A., Gosnell, H., & Ruhl, J. (2017). The Role of Law in Adaptive Governance. Ecology and Society.
- Schlager, E., Craig, R., Garmestani, A., Allen, C., Arnold, T., Birge, H., DeCaro, D., Fremier, A., & Gosnell, H. (2017). Balancing stability and flexibility in adaptive governance: The new challenges and a review of tools available. Ecology and Society.
- Schlager, E., DeCaro, D., Chaffin, B., Garmestani, A., & Ruhl, J. (2017). Legal and Institutional Foundations of Adaptive Environmental Governance. Ecology and Society.
- Schlager, E., Garrick, D., DeStefano, L., & Villamayor Tomas, S. (2017). Managing the Cascading Risks of Droughts: Institutional Adaptation in Transboundary Rivers. Earth's Future.
- Schlager, E., Gunderson, L., Cosens, B., Chaffin, B., Arnold, T., Fremier, A., Garmestani, A., Craig, R., Gosnell, H., Birge, H., Allen, C., Benson, M., Stone, M., Hamm, J., Nemec, K., & Llewelyn, D. (2017). Regime Shifts and Panarchies in Regional Scale Social-Ecological Systems. Ecology and Society, 22(1).
- Schlager, E., Hanlon, J., & Olivier, T. (2018). Suspicious Collaborators: How governments in polycentric systems monitor behavior and enforce public good provision rules against one another. International Journal of the Commons.
- Schlager, E., Lien, A., & Lona, A. (2017). Using institutional grammar to improve understanding of the form and function of payment for ecosystem services programs. Ecosystem Services.
- Anderies, J., Janssen, M., & Schlager, E. (2016). Institutions and the Performance of Coupled Infrastructure Systems. International Journal of the Commons, 10(2), 495-516.
- Schlager, E. (2016). Introducing “The Importance of Context, Scale, and Interdependencies in Understanding and Applying Ostrom’s Design Principles for Successful Governance of the Commons. International Journal of the Commons, 10(2), 405-416.
- Schlager, E., Garrick, D., & Villamayor, S. (2016). Governing an International Transboundary River: Opportunism, Safeguards, and Drought Adaptation in the Rio Grande. Publius: The Journal of Federalism.
- Schlager, E., Sugg, Z., & Ziaja, S. (2016). Conjunctive groundwater management as a response to social-ecological disturbances: A comparison of four Western U.S. states. Texas Water Journal.
- Schlager, E. -., Garrick, D., Stefano, L. d., Fung, F., Pittock, J., New, M., & Connell, D. (2013). Managing Hydroclimatic Risk in Federal Rivers: A Diagnostic Assessment. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.More info;Your Role: 10% effort;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: ;
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2012). Addressing the Issues: The Choice of Environmental Conflict Resolution Venues in the United States. American Journal of Political Science.More info;Your Role: Equal contributor to paper.;Full Citation: Heikkila, Tanya and Edella Schlager. 2012. “"Addressing the Issues: The Choice of Environmental Conflict Resolution Venues in the United States" American Journal of Political Science 56(4):774-786;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor in School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;
- Schlager, E. -., Heikkila, T., & Case, C. (2012). The Costs of Compliance with Interstate Agreements: Lessons From Water Compacts in the Western United States. Publius: The Journal of Federalism.More info;Your Role: Equal contributor;Full Citation: Schlager, Edella, Tanya Heikkila, and Carl Case. 2012. “The Costs of Compliance with Interstate Agreements: Lessons From Water Compacts in the Western United States” Publius: The Journal of Federalism doi: 10.1093/publius/pjs017;Collaborative with graduate student: Yes;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor in School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2011). Left High and Dry? Climate Change, Common Pool Resource Theory, and the Adaptability of Western Water Compacts. Public Administration Review.More info;Your Role: I am lead author of the paper.;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Tanya Heikkila is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver.;
- Schlager, E. -., Heikkila, T., & Davis, M. (2011). The Role of Cross-scale Institutional Linkages in Common Pool Resource Management: Assessing Interstate River Compacts. Policy Studies Journal.More info;Your Role: I wrote 50% of the paper. ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Tanya Heikkila is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver. Mark Davis is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver;
Presentations
- Hanlon, J., Olivier, T., & Schlager, E. (2019, Summer). Suspicious Collaborators: How governments in polycentric systems monitor behavior and enforce public good provision rules against one another. International Association for the Study of the Commons Bi-annual Meeting. Lima Peru: International Association for the Study of the Commons.
- Schlager, E. (2019, Summer). State-Reinforced Self-Governance and Institutional Change: The Evolution of the New York City Watersheds Governing Arrangement. Workshop on the Workshop 6. Bloomington, Indiana: Ostrom Workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis.
- Schlager, E., Ingold, K., & Herzog, L. (2019, Summer). Can beliefs act as institutional filters? Analyzing Beliefs, Rules and Coordination in different Watershed Management Situations. European Consortium on Political Research Annual Meeting. Wroclaw Poland: European Consortium on Political Research.
- Schlager, E. (2017, Fall). Crowding in Cooperative Behavior: Intergovernmental Agreements and the Provision of Regional Public Goods. APPAM Annual Fall Meeting. Chicago, Illinois: APPAM.
- Schlager, E. (2017, Summer). Encouraging Cooperation and Managing Conflict in the Rio Grande/Bravo: The Effects of Venues for Finding Policy Solutions. European Consortium on Political Research Annual Meeting. Oslo, Norway: European Consortium on Political Research.
- Schlager, E. (2017, Summer). Understanding conflict and cooperation in federal rivers: bridging methods and scales in transboundary CPRs. International Association for the Study of the Commons Biennial Meeting. Utrecht, the Netherlands: International Association for the Study of the Commons.
- Schlager, E., Bakkensen, L., Olivier, T., & Hanlon, J. (2017, April). Institutional design for a complex commons: variations in the design of credible commitments and the provision of public goods. Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting. Chicago Illinois: Midwest Political Science Association.
- Schlager, E., Bakkensen, L., Olivier, T., & Hanlon, J. (2017, Spring). Institutional design for a complex commons: variations in the design of credible commitments and the provision of public goods. Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting. Chicago Illinois: Midwest Political Science Association.
- Schlager, E. (2015, Spring). Examining the Designs of Monitoring and Enforcement Mechanisms in a Regional CPR Self-Governing Arrangement. Institutions of Resource Management Panel, Midwest Political Science Association.
- Schlager, E. (2015, Spring). Explaining the Design of Complex Intergovernmental Agreement for Governing a Regional Common Pool Resource: An Application of the “Grammar of Institutions. Department of Political Science, Texas A&M University.
- Schlager, E. (2015, Spring). Institutional Design of Robust Intergovernmental Arrangements. Sustaining the Commons: Interplay between Theory and Practice, Center for Behavior, Institutions, and Environment, Arizona State University.
- Schlager, E. (2015, Spring). Water Scarcity, Governance, and Adaptation Among Western Interstate River Compacts. Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University.
- Schlager, E. (2015, Summer). Analyzing the Grammars of the Rio Grande River Basin Treaties. International Association for the Study of the Commons. Edmonton Canada.
- Schlager, E., Garrick, D., & Tomas, S. (2014, June). A Robust Federal River? Polycentric Governance and Transboundary Drought Management in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. Workshop on the Workshop 5. Bloomington, IN: Ostrom Workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis.
- Schlager, E., Hanlon, J., & Olivier, T. (2014, June). Examining rule complexity: Variation of deontics, rule types, and conditions in provisioning simple and complex public goods. Workshop on the Workshop 5. Bloomington, IN: Ostrom Workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis.
- Schlager, E. (2013, June). Governing Boundaries: Exclusion, Essential Resources, and Sustainability. Workshop on Governing Access to Essential Resources. New York City: Columbia School of Law.
- Schlager, E. (2014, February). Water Scarcity, Governance, and Adaptation: An Application of the SES Framework. Invited Presentation. Denver, CO: School of Public Affairs, UC -- Denver.
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2013, 2012-04-01). Water Scarcity, Conflict Resolution, and Adaptive Governance in Federal Transboundary River Basins. Workshop on Water Security and Federal Rivers. Oxford England.More info;Your Role: Primary author;Invited: Yes;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;Type of Presentation: Academic Conference;
- Schlager, E. -. (2012, 2012-10-01). Water Scarcity, Governance, and Adaptation: An Application of the SES Framework. Invited Presentation. Beaufort, NC.More info;Invited: Yes;Type of Presentation: University;
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2012, 2012-04-01). Water Scarcity, Conflict Resolution, and Adaptive Governance in Federal Transboundary River Basins. Workshop on Water Security and Federal Rivers. Oxford England.More info;Your Role: Primary author;Invited: Yes;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;Type of Presentation: Academic Conference;
- Schlager, E. -., & Heikkila, T. (2012, 2012-09-01). Resolving Environmental Conflicts Among Diverse Venues. American Political Science Association Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.More infoThe conference was cancelled because of hurricane.;Your Role: equal contribution;Submitted: Yes;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;Type of Presentation: Professional Organization;
Reviews
- Schlager, E. -. (2012. An Uncommonly Open Approach. Science.More info;Your Role: sole author;Full Citation: Schlager, Edella (July 13) 2012. "An Uncommonly Open Approach. Review of Infrastructure: The Social Value of Shared Resources by Brett Frischmann. University of Oxford Press" Science 337:156;
Others
- Schlager, E., Bakkensen, L., Olivier, T., & Hanlon, J. (2016, September). Institutional design for a complex commons: variations in the design of credible commitments and the provision of public goods.
- Schlager, E. -., & Weible, C. (2013, November). New Theories of Policy Processess. Policy Studies Journal.More info;Your Role: equal authorship of introduction, editor of special issue of Policy Studies Journal;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Associate Professor School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, Denver;