Tragedy revisited

Abstract

“Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.” So argued ecologist Garrett Hardin in “ The Tragedy of the Commons ” in the 13 December 1968 issue of Science ( 1 ). Hardin questioned society's ability to manage shared resources and avoid an environmentally and socially calamitous free-for-all. In the 50 years since, the essay has influenced discussions ranging from climate change (see page 1217 ) to evolution, from infectious disease to the internet, and has reached far beyond academic literature—but not without criticism. Considerable work, notably by Nobelist Elinor Ostrom ( 2 ), has challenged Hardin, particularly his emphasis on property rights and government regulatory leviathans as solutions. Instead, research has documented contexts, cases, and principles that reflect the ability of groups to collectively govern common resources. To mark this anniversary and celebrate the richness of research and practice around commons and cooperation, Science invited experts to share some contemporary views on such tragedies and how to avert them. — Brad Wible

Shared Patterns in Long-Term Dynamics of Commons as Institutions for Collective Action

“…Understanding commons is important as the underlying social dilemma situation may lead to resource overuse and ultimately depletion if not appropriately managed (Hardin 1968). However, long-term processes of rule-making (which we refer to as 'regulatory activities') in commons as institutions for collective action are poorly understood (Ostrom 2014;De Moor 2015;Boyd et al 2018). We present a quantitative analysis of eighteen European commons in two countries across seven centuries offering a unique picture of long-term institutional dynamics.…”

Cultural group selection and the evolution of reindeer herding in Norway

“…Norms are thus 'coordinating devices' providing people with focal points around which to coordinate behaviour (Schelling 1980). Competition between different groups has been argued to shape normative content (Boyd et al 2018) and the selection of herd accumulation in the North and livestock body mass in the South could thus be viewed as a response to competition.…”

“…Competition, between culturally different groups, has been argued to shape normative content (Boyd et al 2018). Group norms and values could affect the probability of a group's survival, whether a group is economically successful or expanding or is imitated by its neighbours (Boyd and Richerson 2009).…”

Governing the Commons: Why Self-Administered Farm Outlets Flourish in Switzerland

“…Finally, commons may also work very well in Switzerland, because of the long tradition of commons like the one described by Elinor Ostrom in Törbel. Hence, the conviction that rules are necessary and need to be adhered is very widespread and accepted in Switzerland and might very well contribute to cooperation (Boyd & Richerson, 2018). And this might also explain why so many farmers place trust in their customers and set up self-administered outlets in the first place.…”