Garrett Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons

The world is limited and you can't just keep increasing (carrying capacity)Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all

Land degradationExtinction of species

Make it private?Public but with entry rights?-wealth, auction, lottery, merit, first come first serveIf we don't decide we will destroy national parks

Putting something into the commonSewage, chemicals, radioactive, and heat waste Air pollution Advertising signs Discharging wastes is less than the costs of cleaning themaddress this by laws and taxes to make it cheaper to clean then the discharge The pollution problem is a consequence of population

The morality of an act is a function of the state of the system at the time it is preformed It is done best through mediation of administrative law

Will we stop behaving badly just because out conscience says too? Caught in a double bind- condemn for not being a responsible citizen, and also condemn for being shamed into standing aside while the rest of us exploit the commons

Responsibility is created through coercion and creation of social arraignments Agree on coercion to avoid chaos of the commons The status quo is action

Commons is justifiable in low populations With increased populations abandon the commons Infringement on personal liberties

Want to add to tragedy to get maximum benefit for yourself externalization of social costs- pass on social costs to the commons where they are not clearly seen and can't been accounted for Environmental law wants to re internalize the costs (polluter pays)

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Induces people to work by granting them ownership of all or some of the fruits of their labor People act in their own self interest Short term thinking is dysfunctional- Rachel CarsonExternalized costs don't disappear even if they are ignored

Laws purpose is the create property rights that are capable of being traded via market exchange Problem of free riders