Ending The Tragedy of The Commons | Elinor Ostrom | Big Think

Big Think

23 Apr 201204:41

Summary

TLDRThe script discusses Garrett Hardin's 'Tragedy of the Commons' theory, highlighting how overuse of shared resources can lead to their depletion. It emphasizes the importance of community-driven solutions and polycentric governance to manage complex environmental challenges like greenhouse gas emissions. The case of the Masai in East Africa illustrates how traditional grazing practices were disrupted by colonial and government interventions, leading to the need for local and regional organizing to sustainably manage resources.

Takeaways

📜 Garrett Hardin's 'Tragedy of the Commons' concept is discussed, highlighting the potential overuse of shared resources without regulation.
🔄 The script suggests that communities have often found ways to self-regulate and avoid overuse of common resources, despite the theoretical trap.
🌐 The importance of polycentric governance is emphasized, allowing for multiple levels of government and community organizations to interact and solve problems.
🌳 The complexity of solutions to complex societal problems is acknowledged, with a warning against seeking overly simplistic answers.
🌍 The script touches on the global and local effects of greenhouse gas emissions, advocating for local and regional organizing to enhance positive global externalities.
📉 The policies in Eastern Africa, particularly regarding the Masai's grazing lands, are critiqued for disrupting traditional and sustainable practices.
🐄 The Masai's centuries-old grazing methods are described as effective for maintaining rangeland health in areas with limited and unpredictable rainfall.
🏕️ The British colonial and subsequent Kenyan government actions are criticized for fragmenting the Masai's grazing lands and disrupting their traditional systems.
🏘️ The creation of group ranches and the privatization efforts by the Masai are mentioned as attempts to regain control and prevent further land dispossession.
🔄 The Masai are adapting by recreating traditional cattle movement patterns, as studied by Esther Mwangi, to cope with environmental challenges.
🌱 The script implies that local knowledge and adaptive management are crucial for sustainable use of resources in challenging environments.

Q & A

Who is the author of the 1968 article that discussed the concept of the 'Tragedy of the Commons'?
-Garrett Hardin is the author of the 1968 article that introduced the concept of the 'Tragedy of the Commons'.
What is the 'Tragedy of the Commons' scenario described in the article?
-The 'Tragedy of the Commons' scenario describes a situation where individuals, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all by depleting some shared resource, such as a pasture, through overuse.
What does the script suggest about the ability of people to self-regulate and find solutions to the 'Tragedy of the Commons'?
-The script suggests that in many instances, people have found ways to agree on their own rules and extract themselves from the problem of overusing common resources.
What is 'polycentricity' as mentioned in the script?
-Polycentricity refers to a system where multiple centers of decision-making operate, allowing for interaction between markets, governments, and community organizations at various scales, creating a complex nested system.
How does the script relate polycentricity to the issue of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions?
-The script relates polycentricity to global warming by suggesting that while greenhouse gas emissions have a global effect, they also have local and regional effects, and thus require a polycentric approach to enhance local and regional organization for positive global externalities.
What historical example is provided in the script regarding the management of pasture land in Eastern Africa?
-The script provides the historical example of the Masai people in Eastern Africa, who had a sustainable grazing system over a great distance in an area with limited and spotty rainfall.
What changes were made to the Masai's grazing lands by the British colonial farmers and the Kenyan government?
-The British colonial farmers and the Kenyan government gave away large segments of the Masai's grazing lands to colonial farmers and created group ranches, which were not large enough to maintain the traditional grazing system.
How have the Masai responded to the changes in land management and the creation of group ranches?
-The Masai have responded by privatizing their land to prevent it from being given away again by the government and by working out arrangements for family and friends to share land, thus recreating the movement of cattle.
Who is Esther Mwangi and what has she contributed to the understanding of the Masai's land management practices?
-Esther Mwangi is a researcher who has studied the Masai's land management practices over time, contributing to the understanding of how local people cope with challenging environmental conditions.
What is the script's view on the necessity of local and regional solutions in addition to global ones for complex problems like environmental degradation?
-The script emphasizes the necessity of local and regional solutions in addition to global ones, stating that waiting for only large-scale decisions can lead to trouble and that local solutions can help address complex problems more effectively.
Why does the script argue against seeking simple solutions to complex societal problems?
-The script argues against simple solutions because society is complex, and complex problems require nuanced approaches that can be provided by polycentric systems.

Outlines

00:00

🌳 The Tragedy of the Commons and Societal Solutions

This paragraph discusses the concept of the 'Tragedy of the Commons' introduced by Garret Hardin in 1968. It describes a hypothetical scenario where a pasture is open to all, leading to overuse and depletion of resources. Hardin's theory suggests that individuals are trapped in this cycle and cannot escape it on their own. However, subsequent theoretical and empirical research has shown that people can devise their own rules to manage common resources effectively. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of polycentric governance, which involves multiple levels of government and community organizations working together to address complex societal issues. It also touches on the need for local and regional solutions to global problems, such as greenhouse gas emissions, which have both global and local impacts.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Garret Hardin

Garret Hardin was an American ecologist known for his work on the tragedy of the commons, a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource. In the script, Hardin's article from 1968 is mentioned as a foundational work that discusses the overuse of common resources and the challenges it presents to society.

💡Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons is a term used to describe a situation where individuals, acting independently and rationally according to their self-interest, ultimately deplete a shared resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen. The script uses the example of a pasture open to all, illustrating how overgrazing can lead to the degradation of the commons.

💡Polis Centricity

Polis centricity is a concept that emphasizes the importance of local governance and community involvement in addressing complex problems. In the video, it is mentioned as a theoretical framework that supports the idea that local and regional solutions can be effective in tackling global issues like greenhouse gas emissions, by enhancing local and regional organization.

💡Externalities

Externalities are costs or benefits that affect a party who did not choose to incur those costs or benefits. Positive externalities are beneficial effects that a production process has on third parties. In the context of the video, enhancing ways of organizing locally and regionally can produce positive externalities at the global level, such as reducing environmental harm.

💡Masai

The Masai are a traditionally nomadic people living in East Africa, known for their pastoral lifestyle and unique cultural practices. The script discusses how the Masai had developed sustainable grazing practices over centuries, which were disrupted by colonial and post-colonial land policies, affecting their traditional way of life and the health of the rangeland.

💡Pastoralism

Pastoralism is a form of agriculture that involves the rearing of grazing animals, typically in arid or semi-arid regions. The script highlights the Masai's pastoralist practices, which allowed them to maintain the rangeland in good condition despite limited and erratic rainfall.

💡Land Privatization

Land privatization refers to the process of transferring land from public or communal ownership to private ownership. In the script, it is mentioned that the Masai have been privatizing their land to prevent it from being given away by the government again, which is part of their efforts to adapt and maintain their traditional grazing practices.

💡Group Ranches

Group ranches are communal land management systems where multiple pastoralists pool their resources and land to manage livestock collectively. The script describes how the Kenyan government created group ranches, but these were not large enough to maintain the traditional grazing system that worked for the Masai.

💡Rangeland

Rangeland is land on which the native vegetation is predominantly grasses and other non-woody plants, and which is used for grazing by livestock. The script discusses how the Masai maintained the rangeland in good condition through their traditional grazing practices, which is crucial for the health of the ecosystem and the livelihood of the pastoralists.

💡Ester Magni

Ester Magni is mentioned in the script as having done a significant study on the Masai's adaptation and management of their grazing lands over time. Her research provides insights into how local communities can cope with challenging environmental conditions and the impact of policy changes on their traditional practices.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to the ability to maintain a certain process or condition in a way that avoids depletion of resources and maintains ecological balance. The Masai's traditional grazing practices are highlighted as an example of sustainable land management, which contrasts with the unsustainable outcomes of certain land policies.

Highlights

Garret Hardin's 1968 article in Science imagined a pasture open to all, leading to overuse of the Commons.

People have found ways to agree on rules and extract themselves from the Commons problem in many instances.

The concept of polycentricity enables market, government, and community organizations at multiple scales to interact.

Society is complex, and simple solutions to complex problems are not a good idea.

Theoretical work on polycentricity is relevant for addressing global greenhouse gas emissions with local and regional effects.

Enhancing local and regional organization can produce more positive global externalities.

Waiting for big decisions from the entire planet can lead to deep trouble in environmental issues.

The Maasai in East Africa had a sustainable grazing system over a large area with limited rainfall.

Overgrazing and allowing bushes to grow can ruin the functioning of the rangeland.

The British colonial government disrupted the Maasai's grazing system by giving away land to farmers.

The Kenyan government continued to give away Maasai land, leading to the creation of group ranches.

Group ranches were not large enough to maintain the Maasai's traditional grazing system.

The Maasai are privatizing their land to prevent further government giveaways and are working out sharing arrangements.

Local people like the Maasai may find ways to cope with challenging environmental conditions.

Esther Mangini has studied the Maasai's land and grazing practices over time.