The Tragedy of the Commons: a Theoretical-Experimental Approach

Authors

  • Juan Carlos Aguado Franco Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37467/gka-revsocial.v1.1221

Keywords:

Tragedy of the Commons, Cooperation, Altruism, Game Theory, Renewable Resources

Abstract

The exhaustion of natural resources is partly due to natural causes but is also a result of human activity. The effects of human activity depend on the type of natural resource, especially the management of biological populations. If there is free access to the resource, rivalry can to rise. For renewable resources, the rate of use or harvest must not exceed the regeneration rate, but individual rationality leads to over-exploitation. This occurs because the benefits of exploitation accrue to individuals, each of which is motivated to maximize his own use of the resource, while the costs of overexploitation are distributed between all those to whom the resource is available: it's the "Tragedy of the Commons". Prisoner's Dilemma does not to capture all the characteristics of the "Tragedy of the Commons" of renewable resources, especially the progressive scarcity of the resource, and the interaction among several people. We study in the frame of game theory laboratory experiments the "Tragedy of the Commons", to explain people behaviour in this context.

Author Biography

Juan Carlos Aguado Franco, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Doctor en Economía y profesor del Departamento de Fundamentos del Análisis económico de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, donde desarrolla su trabajo docente e investigador desde hace 10 años. Su dilatada experiencia docente le ha llevado a dar clase en la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad Alfonso X “El Sabio”, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, y como profesor visitante en la Universidad ORT de Uruguay y la Universidad de Costa Rica. Ha recibido numerosas menciones y premios por la calidad de su docencia. Sus publicaciones y aportaciones en congresos nacionales e internacionales se cuentan por decenas. Entre sus líneas de interés e investigación destacan las centradas en el análisis microeconómico y la aplicación de la teoría de juegos en diversos ámbitos, especialmente en el comportamiento de los consumidores y en el estudio de los recursos naturales.

References

Aguado J.C. (2001a): “El papel del Estado en la gestión de los recursos naturales de libre acceso”. Comunicación presentada en el VIII Encuentro de Economía Pública, febrero de 2001, Cáceres.

Aguado, J.C. (2001b):”La propiedad de los recursos naturales y su conservación. Especial referencia a los recursos de libre acceso”. Comunicación presentada en el IV Congreso Nacional de Economía Agraria, septiembre de 2001, Pamplona.

Aguado, J.C. (2005): “Problemas de acción colectiva y tragedia de los comunes en los recursos renovables”. Comunicación presentada en el IV Congreso Nacional de Economía, septiembre, La Coruña.

Andreoni, J., Miller, J.H. (2002): “Giving According to GARP: An Experimental Test of the Consistency of Preferences for Altruism”. Econometrica Vol. 70 nº 2, Marzo: 737-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0262.00302

Axelrod, R. (1984): The Evolution of Cooperation. Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, Nueva York. En castellano: La evolución de la cooperación. Alianza Editorial, S. A., Madrid, 1986.

Bixenstine, V.E.; Levitt, C. A. y Wilson, K.V. (1966): “Collaboration among Six Persons in a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 10, nº 4 (diciembre): 488-496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200276601000407

Braver, S.L. y Wilson II, L. A. (1986): “Choices in Social Dilemmas: Effects of Communication within Subgroups”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 30, nº 1 (marzo): 51-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002786030001004

Caldwell, M.D. (1976): “Communication and Sex Effects in a Five-Person Prisoner’s Dilemma Game”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, nº 33: 273-280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.33.3.273

Campbell D.T. (1983): "The Two Distinct Routes beyond Kin Selection to Ultrasociality: implications for the humanities and social sciences", en: The Nature of Prosocial Development, D. Bridgeman (ed.), (Academic Press, New York), p. 11-41.

Cass, R.C. y Edney, J.J. (1978): “The Commons Dilemma. A simulation testing resource visibility and territorial division” Human Ecology nº 6: 371-386. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00889415

Ciriacy-Wantrup S.V. y Bishop, R.C. (1992): "La propiedad común como concepto en la política de recursos naturales" En Economía del Agua. Aguilera, F. (comp.), MAPA, Madrid. Publicado originalmente como documento de investigación de la Giannini Foundation en Natural Resources Journal, nº 15: 713-727. Octubre de 1975.

Coombs, C. (1973): “A reparameterization of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game”. Behavioral Science, nº 18: 424-428. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bs.3830180605

Cornes, R.; Mason, C.F. y Sandler, T. (1986): “The Commons and the Optimal Number of Firms”. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 101, nº 3 (agosto): 641-646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1885703

Dawes, R.M., McTavish, J. y Shaklee, H. (1977): “Behaviour, Communication and Assumptions about Other Peoples’ Behavior in a Commons Dilemma Situation”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology nº 35: 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.1.1

Departamento de Pesca y Acuicultura de la FAO: El estado mundial de la pesca y la acuicultura (SOFIA). Roma, 2012.

Edney, J. y Harper C.S. (1978): “The Commons Dilemma: A Review of contributions from psychology”. Environmental Management, nº2: 419-507. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01866708

Elster, J. (1985): “Rationality, Morality and Collective Action”. Ethics, Vol. 96, nº 1: 136-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/292725

Elster, J. (1989): Foundations of social choice theory. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Erev, I. y Rapoport, A. (1990): “Provision of Step-Level Public Goods: The Sequential Contribution Mechanism”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 34, nº 3 (septiembre): 401-425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002790034003002

Fehr, E., Schmidth, K.M. (1999): "A Theory of Fairness, Competition and Cooperation" Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 114, nº 3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/003355399556151

Faucheux S., Noël J.-F. (1995), Economie des ressources naturelles et de l'environnement, Collection U, Armand Colin Editeur.

Frank, R.H. (1987): “If Homo Economicus Could Choose His Own Utility Function, Would He Want One with a Conscience?” The American Economic Review, Vol. 77, nº 4 (septiembre): 593-604.

Frank, R.H. (1989): “If Homo Economicus Could Choose His Own Utility Function, Would He Want One with a Conscience? Reply.” The American Economic Review, Vol. 79, nº 3 (junio): 594-596.

Georgescu-Roegen N. (1996), La ley de la entropía y el proceso económico. Harvard University Press. Edición española en Visor-Argentaria, Madrid.

Goldman, M. (1997): “Customs in Common”: The Epistemic World of the Commons Scholars”. Theory and Society, Vol. 26, nº 1 (febrero): 1-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006803908149

Hardin G. (1968): “The Tragedy of The Commons”, Science, 162: 1243-1248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.162.3859.1243

Haveman, R. H. "Common Property, Congestion and Environmental Pollution." Quarterly Journal of Economics, Mayo de 1973, 87 (2): 278-287 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1882188

Hurwicz, L. (1945): “The Theory of Economic Behavior”. The American Economic Review, Vol. 35, nº 5: 909-925.

Kollock, P. (1998): Social Dilemmas: The Anatomy of Cooperation”. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24: 183-214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.183

Liebrand, W.B. et al. (1986): “Value Orientation and Conformity: A Study Using Three Types of Social Dilemma Games”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 30, nº 1 (marzo): 77-97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002786030001006

Margolis, H. (1982): Selfishness, Altruism, and Rationality. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Marí-Klose, P. (2000): Elección racional. Colección “Cuadernos Metodológicos” nº 29. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas: Madrid.

Marwell, G. y Oliver, P.E. (1993): The Critical Mass in a Collective Action: A Micro-Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511663765

Messick, D.M. y Brewer, M.B. (1983): “Solving social dilemmas. A review”, en L. Wheeler y P. Shaver (eds.) Review of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol.4. Beverly Hills: Sage.

Olson, M. (1965): The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Orbell, J.M.; Dawes, R. y Van de Kragt, A. (1990): “The Limits of Multilateral Promising”. Ethics, Vol. 100, nº 3 (abril): 616-627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/293213

Ostrom, E. (1995): Governing the commons. The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press.

Ostrom, E. (2000): “Collective action and The Evolution of Social Norms”. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 14, nº 3 (verano): 137-158. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.14.3.137

Paramio, L. (2000): “Decisión racional y acción colectiva”. Leviatán, nº 79: 65-83.

Pearce D, Turner R (1995) Economía de los Recursos Naturales y del Medio Ambiente. Celeste Ediciones, Madrid.

Piliavin, J. A. y Charng, H.W. (1990): “Altruism: A Review of Recent Theory and Research”. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 16: 27-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.16.080190.000331

Rabin, M. (1993): “Incorporating Fairness into Game Theory and Economics”. The American Economic Review, Vol. 83, nº 5 (diciembre): 1281-1302.

Rapoport, A. (1963): “Formal Games as Probing Tools for Investigating Behavior Motivated by Trust and Suspicion”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 7, nº 3 (septiembre): 570-579. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200276300700339

Rapoport, A. (1967): “A Note on the “Index of Cooperation” for Prisoner’s Dilemma”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 11, nº 1, Law and Conflict Resolution (marzo): 100-103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200276701100108

Rapoport, A. (1988a): “Experiments with N-Person Social Traps: Prisoner’s Dilemma, Weak Prisoner’s Dilemma, Volunteer’s Dilemma, and Largest Number”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 32, nº 3: 457-472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002788032003003

Rapoport, A. (1988b): “Experiments with N-Person Social Traps II: Tragedy of the Commons”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 32, nº 3 (septiembre): 473-488. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002788032003004

Rapoport, A. y Dale, P. S. (1966): “The “End” and “Start” Effects in Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 10, nº 3 (septiembre): 363-366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200276601000308

Roberts, R.S. y Emel, J. (1992): “Uneven Development and the Tragedy of the Commons: Competing Images for Nature-Society Analysis”. Economic Geography, Vol. 68, nº3 (julio): 249-271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/144185

Sandler, T. (1992): Collective Action: Theory and Applications. Londres: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Scodel, A. et al. (1959): “Some Descriptive Aspects of Two-Person Non-Zero-Sum Games”, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 3, nº 2 (junio): 114-119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200275900300203

Schelling, T.C. (1960): The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Schelling, T.C. (1968): “Game Theory and the Study of Ethical Systems”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 12, nº 1 (marzo): 34-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200276801200103

Schelling, T.C. (1978a): “Micromotives and Macrobehavior”. En Thomas Schelling (ed.), Micromotives and Macrobehavior. New York: Norton: 9-43.

Schelling, T.C. (1978b): “Altruism, Meanness, and Other Potentially Strategic Behaviors”. The American Economic Review, Vol. 68, nº 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Ninetieth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (mayo): 229-230.

Sen, A. K. (1977): “Rational Fools: A Critique of the Behavioural Foundations of Economic Theory”. Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 6, nº 4 (verano): 317-344.

Shubik, M. (1970): “Game Theory, Behavior, and the Paradox of the Prisoner’s Dilemma: Three Solutions”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol.14, nº 2 (junio): 181-193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200277001400204

Taylor, M. (1976): Anarchy and Cooperation. New York: Wiley.

Published

2012-03-06

How to Cite

Aguado Franco, J. C. (2012). The Tragedy of the Commons: a Theoretical-Experimental Approach. SOCIAL REVIEW. International Social Sciences Review / Revista Internacional De Ciencias Sociales, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.37467/gka-revsocial.v1.1221

Issue

Section

Research articles