In a context of rising environmental pressure and slow societal changes in response, the emergence of ecovillages comes as a small-scale solution to actively propose sustainable alternatives to the modern consumerist society. The human factor plays a key role in enabling such ecovillages to last. An adapted governance and decision-making system is thus needed to ensure a positive future for such places. This paper investigates the governance models for ecovillages through an ethnographic study of three French ecovillages using different governance systems. Building on data collected via immersion in those ecovillages, the paper analyses the advantages and drawbacks of the different governance systems. Their practical implementation is given much importance as a first finding is that the human factor as well as the informal governance play key roles in supporting these ecovillages’ governance systems. The comparison between the three studied ecovillages also shows that they all base their decision-making process on consent and implement a formal tension management system. The thesis argues that those elements are key features of a successful governance for an ecovillage. Consent is praised as it enables collective intelligence but avoids the flaws of a systematic search for universal consensus. Consent can be included in an integrative governance approach which uses different decision-making processes for different types of decision and allows to recognize and structure informal decision-making. As findings illustrate the prominent role of the human factor in ecovillages’ governance, the thesis argues that an adapted tension management system is needed to avoid conflicts and that the governance system should be adaptable to evolve with its members and allow a strong shared culture to emerge. The paper also examines what elements of ecovillages’ governance can be applied in other contexts, such as companies or politics. The horizontal governance systems used, the decision-making process enabling collective intelligence and the general focus on well-being and human relations can all be sources of inspiration in various contexts. The thesis invites for further research on ecovillages and their governance as they provide rich and diverse propositions which could nourish a fresh momentum towards a more sustainable society. 

Den här artikeln använder en etnografisk metod för att studera styrningssystemen i tre franska ekobyar. Deras praktiska genomförande ges stor betydelse, eftersom en första slutsats är att den mänskliga faktorn och den informella styrningen spelar en nyckelroll för att stödja dessa ekobyars styrsystem. Jämförelsen mellan de tre studerade ekobyarna visar också att de alla baserar sin beslutsprocess på "samtycke". De tillämpar också ett formellt system för förvaltning av spänningar. I avhandlingen hävdas att dessa element är viktiga inslag i ett framgångsrikt styre för ett ekobyn. Styrningssystemet bör också vara anpassningsbart, och det kan vara fördelaktigt att använda en integrativ styrning. I uppsatsen undersöks också vilka delar av ekobyars styrning som kan tillämpas i andra sammanhang, t.ex. företag eller politik. De horisontella styrsystem som används, beslutsprocessen som möjliggör kollektiv intelligens och det allmänna fokuset på välbefinnande och mänskliga relationer kan alla vara inspirationskällor i olika sammanhang. Avhandlingen inbjuder till ytterligare forskning om ekobyar och deras styrning, eftersom de ger rika och varierande förslag som kan ge näring åt en ny dynamik mot ett mer hållbart samhälle.