[michael_nielsen]

Olson didn't win the Nobel Prize. You're thinking of Elinor Ostrom's book "Governing the Commons", which extended Olson's work considerably, and which led to Ostrom's prize.

Thanks for the tip on Olson's 1984 book, which I'd never heard of. Curiously enough, while reading Shirky's article, my mind kept turning to Olson and Ostrom, and their work on collective action.

[Perceval]

Right you are. I've read both, and knew that Ostrom got hers recently, but thought that Olson had received one as well. Oh well, still a tremendously influential book.