Collective Action Problem Flashcards

Collective Action Problem Concepts

• Tragedy of the Commons: Individual actions on shared resources lead to depletion, jeopardizing community welfare.
• Collective Action Problem (CAP): Group members can achieve better outcomes through cooperation, yet individuals often choose self-interest over collaboration.
• Assumption of CAP: Individuals are seen as utility-maximizers, seeking to maximize personal gain.

Solutions to Collective Action Problem

• Enforcement: Use of force to ensure compliance and collective cooperation.
• Strong Leadership: Charismatic leaders can inspire and unify groups to combat the issue.
• Community Norms: Establishing shared values and limitations to enhance cooperation.
• Private Property/Captialism: Assigning responsibility to individuals can encourage sustainable resource use.
• Democratic Approaches: Majority rule can provide a framework for cooperation, albeit with Plato's skepticism.

Philosophical Perspectives on Justice

• Plato's View on Justice: Community obligations toward the weaker (e.g., vulnerable individuals) reflect a moral society.
• Thrasymachus' Skepticism: Challenges the notion of justice as merely a term used by those in power, claiming no intrinsic value.
• Justice and Order: A just society is one that maintains structure and regulation for the common good.

Forms of Government in Relation to Collective Action

• Aristocracy: Power controlled by a hereditary elite; Plato's favored solution based on perceived natural inequality.
• Oligarchy: A small ruling group wherein political power correlates with economic power.
• Democracy: Governance based on popular sovereignty and majority will, criticized for its potential excesses.
• Tyranny: A singular authoritative ruler governs, often resulting in reduced freedoms.

Historical Perspectives on Human Nature

• Aristotle's Community Focus: Emphasizes the interconnectedness of society—family, village, state—as vital to addressing CAP.
• Hobbes' View of Humanity: Describes people as essentially selfish and solitary, necessitating a powerful central authority for order.
• Radical-Egoism: Advocates that all actions are driven by self-interest; societal conditions are ‘nasty, brutish, and short.’

Hobbes and the Social Contract

• Social Contract Theory: Citizens cede rights to a sovereign in return for security and order; defines Hobbesian government as an absolute monarchy.
• State of Nature: Considered a chaotic condition of unrestricted freedom with no societal constraints.
• Enforcement Mechanism: Fear of a strong authority ensures compliance within the framework of human governance.
• Leviathan Concept: Represents the ultimate authority that maintains peace through control and fear juxtaposed with liberty.

Final Thoughts on Community and Politics

• Hobbes & Community Absence: Without community, might and deceit become dominant virtues, leading to ‘perfect misery’.
• Aristotle’s Political Animal: Humans as inherently social beings whose morality binds them together, underscoring a community’s role in mitigating CAP.