Sociology / Unit 10 Soc 1760 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Tragedy of the Commons
Captions available
The idea
Hardin's tragedy of the commons describes an unregulated, open-access resource degrading because each user gains from use while sharing the cost with everyone else.
In practice
Herders each adding cattle to an open, unowned pasture gain individually while the shared land degrades.
Where people slip
Ostrom found collectively governed commons, unlike Hardin's open-access case, frequently avoid this outcome through community institutions.
Your place on the trail
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Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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