The tragedy of the commons refers to the:
A) underproduction of public goods in economic markets.
B) underproduction of a common good.
C) overuse of a nonrival and nonexcludable good.
D) overuse of a rival but nonexcludable good.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tragedy of the commons describes a situation where individuals, acting in their own self-interest, overuse and deplete a shared resource that is rival (consumption by one person reduces availability for others) but nonexcludable (no one can be effectively excluded from using it).

The Tragedy of the Commons Refers to The