Many residents of a particular town enjoy taking their dogs with them when they go to their local park for recreation and picnics. Everybody enjoys the park more when each group cleans up after themselves and their pets, but nobody enjoys the act of cleaning up after themselves or their dogs. We can expect the park to be _______, due to a _______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described is a classic example of a prisoner's dilemma, where individuals, acting in their own self-interest, do not cooperate, leading to a worse outcome for the group (in this case, a dirty park). Each person would prefer the park to be clean (which would be the outcome if everyone cleaned up), but the incentive to free-ride on the efforts of others leads to nobody wanting to put in the effort, resulting in a dirty park.

Many Residents of a Particular Town Enjoy Taking Their Dogs