Tragedy of the commons
Videos
The tragedy of the commons is the idea that when a resource is shared and can benefit the individual at a cost to the community, it is rational for the individual to overuse the resource, even though
Industrial pollution is one of the consequences of operators ignoring their effect on the shared environment.
Cows on Selsley Common, England. Lloyd used shared grazing of common land as an illustration of where abuse of rights could occur.
Effect of over grazing
Clearing rainforest for agriculture in southern Mexico
Free-rider problem
Videos
In economics, the free-rider problem is a type of market failure that occurs when those who benefit from resources, public goods and common pool resources do not pay for them or under-pay. Free riders
Tragedy of the commons
…Overall, Hardin argued against relying on conscience as a means of policing commons, suggesting that this favors selfish individuals – often known as free riders – over those who are more altruistic. In the context of avoiding over-exploitation of common-pool resources, Hardin concluded by restating Hegel's maxim…
Passengers who circumvent payment turnstiles are "free-riding" on the train.