What is politics? In general, politics is a widely understood term, and one that usually induces thoughts of governments, states, and international relations. It explains the behavior of nations, encompasses many different political ideologies, and on occasion it is blamed as the cause of wars and corruption. The actual meaning of politics however, is complex and debatable, and should not be oversimplified. Formally, politics is, "the activity through which people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under which they live.".
Basically, politics is the way in which groups of people cooperate and make decisions for a usually larger group of people. To better understand the concept of politics, one must first also understand the concept of the "tragedy of the commons" and the problem of "collective action." The tragedy of the commons is an idea first developed by Garrett Hardin. Hardin describes this theory through a metaphor, in which many herdsmen release their cattle onto the same public pasture land. Connected to the tragedy of the commons is the game theory. The game theory is pictured usually as a matrix and it can help individuals, or even nations, decide on a strategy based on what they think their oppositions strategy will be.
Collective action is when individuals with the same goals, or self-interests, collaborate to achieve their goals, and in politics this usually concerns the distribution of public goods. The problem with collective action is that it tends to fail the larger the group is, and individuals in the group have incentive to "free-ride" to achieve their personal goals. The idea of the tragedy of the commons, game theory, and the problem of collective action combined can be useful in understanding politics as a whole.
The tragedy of the commons was first published in 1968, and since then it has been applied to social, economic, and political situations.
"The Tragedy of the Commons- explains just this, how man as an individual or as a whole has made a practice of taking from our Earth until it ceases to give any more. ... The "Tragedy of the Commons- is continuously unfolding all around the world. ... "The Tragedy of the Commons- is a tragedy indeed. ...
Even though Garett Hardin's article "The Tragedy of the Commons- focused on the population problem, I find that one can relate it to the intricacies of the global economy with little imagination. ...
The oceans, beyond the two-hundred-mile limit, outer space, and Antarctica are global commons areas. ... Global commons are very difficult to protect because they aren't owned by any one country or individual. According to, "The Tragedy of the Commons," the biggest issue we have is people who privately own land go somewhere else, a common area, to get their natural resources they need instead of using their own land. ... One of the biggest success stories in the efforts to protect the commons is Antarctica. ... Even though countries all over the world have been making strides to...
In Garrett Hardin's, 'The Tragedy of the Commons' we learn that in this world we live in there are a finite amount of resources. ... The tragedy of the commons as we know it can be found in overpopulation. Overpopulation is an example of the tragedy of the commons because, as we know, the tragedy of the commons is a phrase used to describe property owned by the government given to the people, whereby the people do not take any ownership in the property and therefore nobody takes accountability or responsibility for it. ... No, there must be coercion, a type of system in which i...
Not only is it a tragedy that this water source is declining, however this water resource was a main source to farmers who once used the flowing river that came right through to their farm. ... This article mentions that "the San Saba presents itself as a classic tragedy of the commons" which could not be more true (Hamilton). ... This issue of tragedy of the commons is usually one of the key causes for every natural resource conservation problem. ... Tragedy of the commons presents itself periodically throughout our lives-this being a more serious issue, as well as showing the eff...
In Garret Hardin's article, The Tragedy of the Commons, he mentions, "Each man pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the common.... In Wall-e, it is clear to picture what the Earth might be like in an extreme case of tragedy of the commons if humans can't find a way to recycle. ... No human being has the importance to care for others but their own interest, which ultimately ends in a tragedy....
Why economic valuations are necessary, some different views on valuations and for what they are used, what we understand by public and private goods, commons, and the cost benefit analysis. ... Both Hardin and Pigou commented on the tragedy of the Global Commons. ...
The Oceans are included in a group of shared international and global resources, universally known as the global commons. In order to be considered part of the global commons, four criteria must be met. There must be a resource (replenishable or depletable) people who share the commons (users), rules to govern access to and benefit from the commons, and it must hold some value for being preserved and protected2. ... There are two levels which our commons can be governed: Community-based (informal) and government based (formal). ... However, when the government lacks technology and will to repa...
Hardin first defines the tragedy of the commons as "if people do not manage their desire for needs and nobody controls it, resources that remain will be eventually destroyed." ... Hardin advises people not to be selfish and take more resources than they need when he talks about "the tragedy of the commons", but on the other hand is he trying to encourage people to be selfish in order to be alive and share the resources equally even though a certain amount of people will die because of this idea? ...