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Tragedy of the Commons
The document summarizes Garret Hardin's influential 1968 publication "The Tragedy of the Commons". It describes how allowing open access to a shared resource, like a pasture, leads rational individuals to overuse it for personal gain, ultimately destroying the resource. While frequently cited in favor of privatization, the article has received criticism for historical inaccuracies and for mischaracterizing the issues as issues of common rather than open access. Later, Hardin clarified he was referring to "The Tragedy of the Unmanaged Commons".
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Tragedy of the Commons
- 1. “The Tragedy ofthe Commons”
- 2. “The Tragedy ofthe Commons” • Published 1968 by biologist Garret Hardin • Among the most influential scientific publications "The tragedy of the commons develops in this way. Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons... the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy. As a rational being, each herdsman seeks to maximize his gain....
- 3. “The Tragedy ofthe Commons” • Published 1968 by biologist Garret Hardin • Among the most influential scientific publications • Frequently cited in favor of privatization of public property Criticism: • Historically inaccurate - “it is difficult to find a passage of comparable length and fame that contains so many errors as the one quoted” (Partha Dasgupta) • “The “Tragedy of the Commons” is one of the modern world’s most dangerous myths.” (George Monbiot) • Overuse of the commons in traditional societies was generally prevented through a sophisticated structure of norms practiced by the respective communities. There is no evidence of systematic overgrazing. • The “tragedy” Hardin describes is in fact not a tragedy of common property but rather a tragedy of open access regimes.
- 4. “The Tragedy ofthe Commons” • The “tragedy” Hardin describes is in fact not a tragedy of common property but rather a tragedy of open access regimes. • In later work, Hardin referred to the “Tragedy of the Unmanaged (Unregulated) Commons”. • The problems identified by Hardin apply to expansive resources that are unregulated or where regulation is difficult to enforce: oceans, atmosphere, expansive tracts of forest or rangeland, water resources • Essentially, he describes a Free Rider Problem • Hardin's actual topic was population control: he interpreted (excessive) reproduction as a Free Rider problem. This argument is hardly ever taken seriously or even discussed.
- 5. “The Tragedy ofthe Commons” To read more • Garrett Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons (1968) • Achim Lerch, The Tragedy of the “Tragedy of the Commons” • Elinor Ostrom, Coping with Tragedies of the Commons • George Monbiot, The Tragedy of Enclosure • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons • http://p2pfoundation.net/Tragedy_of_the_Commons