Reference #372: Thinking in Systems

There are three approaches to avoiding the tragedy of the commons:

• Educate the exhort. Help people to see their individual impact on the use of the commons. Appeal to morality or social pressures.
• Privatise the commons. Divide it so that each person faces the consequences of their own actions, rather than having those consequences shared across many.
• Regulate the commons. "Mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon". Accomplished through bans, taxes, incentives, and enforced by policies and penalties.

Many indigenous cultures have managed commons through education and exhortation. But this is not a dependable option as it may attract those willing to exploit the system. Privatisation works more reliably, but many resources such as the atmosphere are unable to be privatised. Regulation is often the only option to manage a commons. This approach is seen in traffic lights, parking meters, and banks.

Meadows. Thinking in Systems, 2008. (119-120)

← PreviousNext →