The fundamental cause of the tragedy of the commons is:
A) international trade.
B) lack of defined property rights.
C) ignorance.
D) tariffs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tragedy of the commons occurs when a shared resource (such as a public grazing land or fishery) is overused and depleted because individuals have no incentive to conserve it. This lack of incentive is often caused by the absence of defined property rights, which means that no one has exclusive ownership over the resource and therefore nobody has a direct interest in preserving it. International trade, ignorance, and tariffs may influence the management of these shared resources but they are not the fundamental cause of the tragedy of the commons.

The Fundamental Cause of the Tragedy of the Commons Is