Tragedy of the Commons, Part 1
The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma that develops when a group holds a limited resource in common. If each person acts rationally in his or her own self interest, often the resource will be depleted or destroyed by the group, even if the individuals know that their behavior will ultimately be harmful.
Credit: National Science Foundation
Tragedy of the Commons, Part 2
The tragedy of the commons says that self interest and competition can cause people to ruin a shared resource. If people ruin what they share, sometimes the best avenue is to have them not share. Research supported by the National Science Foundation has shown that privatization, cooperation and regulation can all work to protect commons, but only if proper enforcement exists.
Credit: National Science Foundation