How to create a truly democratic self-governing society where it is not the "government" that rules, but the citizens themselves - this is the main question that the book of one of the largest modern American scientists, the author of works in the field of political science and public administration, Professor Vincent Ostrom, is devoted to. V. Ostrom bases his view on this problem on a deep historical and theoretical analysis of American and European experience. Ostrom's ideas are extremely relevant for Russia, which is embarking on a difficult path of democratic development.