The tragedy of the commons occurs when a good is:
A) rival in consumption and excludable.
B) rival in consumption and not excludable.
C) not rival in consumption and excludable.
D) neither rival in consumption nor excludable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tragedy of the commons is a situation where individuals, acting in their own self-interest, use a shared resource (such as a pasture or a fishery) to the point where it becomes depleted. In this situation, the good is both rival in consumption (meaning that one person's use of the resource reduces the amount available to others) and not excludable (meaning that it is difficult or impossible to prevent someone from using the resource). Option B is the only choice that describes a good with these characteristics.

The Tragedy of the Commons Occurs When a Good Is