Social Dilemmas

Defining Social Dilemmas

Social dilemmas are situations in which the shortterm benefit of the individual is, if pursued by all [Page 1453]individuals, in conflict with the long-term benefit of the group or collective. Perhaps the best illustration of a social dilemma is “the tragedy of the commons,” which gets its name from the common pasture that English towns used to have. People were free to graze their cattle on this land, and if everyone used it in moderation it would regenerate and continually benefit them all. Imagine, however, one hundred farmers surrounding a common that could support only one hundred cows. If each farmer grazed one cow, the common would be maximally utilized and minimally taxed. One farmer, however, might reason that if he or she grazed an additional cow, his or her output would be doubled, minus a very small cost due to overgrazing—a cost borne equally by all hundred farmers. So this farmer adds a second cow. If all one hundred farmers reasoned in this way they would rapidly destroy the common, thus producing the tragedy of the commons.

The commons dilemma is an example of a replenishable resource dilemma. The commons is a renewable resource that will continually support many people provided that all people show restraint in harvesting the resource. Many of the world's most pressing environmental and conservation problems are replenishable resource dilemmas—for example, rain forests and the world's population of ocean fish are renewable resources only if they are harvested appropriately.

Another type of social dilemma is a public goods dilemma. Public goods are provided for everyone or no one—for example, public health, national parks, clean air, national road networks, public radio, and public television. Because public goods are available to all, people are tempted to use them without contributing to their maintenance. There is a “ free-rider effect” in which people self-interestedly use a resource without taking care of it. An example of a public goods dilemma is tax evasion—taxation pays for roads, health, social security, and other goods that all people use. People are in favor of these goods but still try to avoid paying for them via taxes. Another example is national parks—most people are strongly in favor of national parks and derive great pleasure from visiting them, and yet many people try to avoid paying for them through taxes or entry fees.

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