Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action

Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action Do the concepts of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and the problem of ‘collective action’ help you to understand what politics is essentially about? Your answer should include a statement of your understanding of the two concepts and examples to support your argument. I do believe that the concepts of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and the problem of ‘collective action’ help me to understand what politics is fundamentally about. In this essay I will explain why I believe this to be true. Before I can express how these concepts help with the essential understanding of politics, I must first unravel what exactly the idea of politics is, and I will then continue by applying them to the underlying idea of politics. To help me to do this I will use relevant examples of both in order to back up my opinion and to clearly express my views. It is not simple to define ‘politics’ in just one way as many people have said it to mean very different things. Even respected authorities cannot always agree as to what the subject is about (Heywood, 2013: 2). Harold D. Lasswell famously summed up the idea of politics as being ‘who gets what, when, and how’ (Lasswell, 1936), meaning that it is all about resources. It is about dividing these resources; what these resources are, how much of these resources there is to go around, what system will be used to decide how these resources will be divided up, and how to make sure that after the resources are finished being divided throughout society, that whatever deals were put in place will hold. Politics exists in organisations, groups, and families (Dye, 2002). The broadest definition of politics would be to describe it as the activity through which people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under which the live in society (Heywood, 2013: 2), and this l eads to how politics is undoubtedly linked to conflict and cooperation, which in turn brings us to the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ concept and the ‘Collective Action’ problem. A ‘commons’ is any resource that can be used as though it belongs to all. Garrett Hardin explained the concept of how tragedy can occur within a commons with a parable (Hardin, 1968). The parable was about farmers using a pasture which was open to all, for their herds to graze. As rational beings, each farmer will seek to maximise their own utility, and by pursuing their own self-satisfaction, we expect that each farmer will try to keep as many animals as possible on the pasture (Hardin, 1968). Eventually overgrazing and overcapacity destroys the system of the commons and leads to the collapse of the resource. This is the tragedy. In a limited world, freedom in a commons brings ruin to all, and it can take just one selfish person to break the equilibrium (Hardin, 1968). Of course the concept spreads much farther than just famers grazing their animals on a pasture. Quite a substantial proportion of the world’s most difficult problems can be seen through the lens of the Tragedy of the Commons; famine in Africa, drought, etc. The Tragedy of the Commons can honestly be seen almost anywhere we look in politics. The government can limit access to commons, but there is no technical solution because once this is done it is no longer commons (Hanson, 1997). If we look at America’s political system of ‘laissez faire’, everything, even people become commons. Money is political power and all political decision are reduced to economic ones, meaning that there is no political system but only an economic one (Hanson, 1997). America is one large commons that will be exploited until destruction (Hanson, 1997). The only seen solution is to invent and introduce a political system that cannot be bought monetarily, and then limit freedom in the commons. Otherwise the population will crash (Hanson, 1997). The theoretical approach to politics known as the ‘rational-choice theory’ is a big notion behind the Tragedy of the Commons, and the Tragedy of the Commons definitely aids the understanding of this political theory. The theory assumes that the majority of ‘rational’ people act on the basis of self-interest and will calculate the likely costs and benefits of any action before deciding what to do and will only proceed if the benefits outweigh the costs (Scott, 2000). This theory is clearly employed and understood through the Tragedy of the Commons. In the parable of the farmers, the private benefits received from increasing their heard are greater than the private costs charged, and therefore the farmers adds more animals to the common grazing field. The commons is a fundamental social institution (Crowe, 1969). Hardin’s parable is a useful illustration of a genuine public-policy problem; how does one manage a resource that doesn’t belong to any one? (Tierney, 2009). Due to man’s pursuance of self-interest, social co-operation doesn’t occur naturally, and problems are bound to arise when trying to make people co-operate in society. Government and social order is all about people coming together to achieve goals, and selfishness will effect many policy outcomes. The way we formulate ideas has a real impact on the society which we live in. People derive private benefits from common resources and the costs can be spread to people around them. We can take pollution as a relevant example. If I am lazy and decide to just throw my rubbish onto the street, I receive the benefit of the ease of discarding my waste without effort, while those around me receive the cost of a polluted town. Exhaust from cars pollutes the air and while the driver in benefited by quick and easy travel to their required destination, everyone around them suffers with polluted air and increase global warming. Politics is centrally concerned with the maintenance and management of scarce resources. This is where collective action appears. Collective action is when a number of people come together to achieve a common objective, when it isn’t necessarily in anybody’s interest to do the right thing. It is about getting people who are busy rushing to do their own things, to do something collectively that will benefit all. We talk of the problem of scarce resources as a collective action problem, because essentially what is behind the idea is how to get people to come together- to cooperate. The ‘collective action problem’ describes the situation where the ‘free-rider’ problem occurs, when rational actors have no individual incentive to support the collective action (Scott, 2000), and despite their unwillingness to cooperate themselves, the still gain from the cooperation of others. Most action taken on behalf of groups of individuals is taken through orga nizations (Olson, 1965:9), and therefore my example will based on organizations in a general form. Rational individuals will join organizations where the benefits of membership and involvement outweigh the costs, but if they can still receive the benefits without joining the organization, they will not feel the need to join it. The rational choice theory is re-introduced here. If every individual views the membership of the organisation in the same way, nobody will be willing to join and there will be nobody left willing to provide the service of the organization. There is also the example of voters. Individual voters have very little influence over the result of elections and they therefore don’t pay much attention to politics or policy decisions. They do not analyse it in depth, and vote irrationally. We therefore end up with worse outcomes than we would have if they had chosen to stick with their lack of knowledge and not vote. Cooperation is at the heart of the notion of collective action. Groups of individuals with common interests are expected to act on behalf of their common interests as much as single individuals are expected to act on behalf of their personal interests (Olson, 1965: 5). Unfortunately, people do not cooperate naturally. When left with individuals who are motivated by self-interest and don’t work for the group, we must think: what kind of society can emerge and how do you force people into action that will make them work for the group. Tax is a social condition. It is not left up to the people to decide what amount they think they should pay, as although tax paid goes towards services that benefit society as a whole, individuals would avoid paying if they had the choice, if they felt they could still receive the same benefits. Making tax a social condition is an example of a solved political collective action problem in a way. In conclusion I feel that I have convincingly explained why I believe that the concept of the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ and the ‘Collective Action’ problem both aid in the understanding of what politics is essentially about. What fundamentally links these ideas with politics is cooperation, as it is the foundation for them all. The political ‘Rational Choice’ theory can be comprehended when used with examples from both the tragedy of the commons, and the collective action problem. Politics is about managing resources and searching for conflict resolution that may arise, and both ideas can definitely be described as conflicts that may be faced during this process. Bibliography CROWE, L. B. (1969) Science, New Series. The Tragedy of the Commons Revisited. [Internet], November 1969, 166(3909), pp. 1103-1107. Available from: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/misc/webfeat/sotp/pdfs/166-3909-1103.pdf [Accessed 11th January 2014]. DYE, R. T. (2002) Politics in America, Basic Edition. New Jersey, Prentice Hall (5th Edition). Available from: http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_dye_politics_5/6/1739/445252.cw/index.html [Accessed 7th January 2014]. HANSON, J. (1997) Tragedy of the Commons Re-Stated. Available from: http://dieoff.org/page109.htm [Accessed 12th January 2014]. HARDIN, G. (1968) Science. The Tragedy of the Commons. [Internet], December 1968, 162, pp. 1243-1248. Available from: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243.full [Accessed 7th January 2014]. HEYWOOD, A. (2013) Politics. Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan (4th Edition). LASSWELL, D. H. (1936) Politics: Who Gets What, When, How. New York, London, Whittlesey House, McGraw-Hill Book Company Incorporated. OLSON, M. (1965) The Logic of Collective Action. Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Massachsetts, Harvard University Press. SCOTT, J. (2000) ‘Rational Choice Theory’, in G Browning, A Halcli, F Webster (eds), Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present. London, SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 126-139. Available from: http://www.soc.iastate.edu/Sapp/soc401rationalchoice.pdf [Accessed 10th January 2014]. TIERNEY, J. (2009,) The Non-Tragedy of the Commons. The New York Times. Available from: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/the-non-tragedy-of-the-commons/?_r=0 [Accessed 12th January 2014].

Guerilla Warfare Essay -- essays research papers

Guerrilla Warfare The term guerrilla (Spanish, â€Å"little war†) originated in the early 19th century during the Peninsular war when, after the defeat of Spain’s regular forces, Spanish irregulars and civilians rose up against the French occupying forces. The practice of guerrilla warfare, however, dates from antiquity; for example, the Bible tells of the Israelite conquest of Canaan, led by Joshua, involving harassment and ambush of the enemy. Later Jewish resistance to foreign rule was expressed in the series of fierce guerrilla operations against the Romans in the 1st century AD; led by the Zealot sect, this revolt was climaxed by the seizure of Masada and the massacre of the Roman garrison there in AD66. Lacking the numerical strength and weapons to oppose a regular army in the field, guerrillas avoid pitched battles. Instead, they operate from bases established in remote and inaccessible terrain, such as forests, mountains, and jungles, and depend on the support of the local inhabitants for recruits, food, shelter, and information. The guerrillas may also receive assistance in forms of arms, medical supplies, and military advisers from their own or allied regular armies. The tactics of guerillas are those of harassment. Striking swiftly and unexpectedly, they raid enemy supply depots and installations, ambush patrols and supply convoys, and cut communication lines, hoping thereby to disrupt enemy activities and to capture equipment and supplies for their own use. Because ...

Mcdonald’s: Serving Fast Food Essay

Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in 1955. He offered a limited menu of high quality, moderately priced food served fast in spotless surroundings. McDonald’s QSC&V (Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value) was a hit. The chain expanded into every state in nation. By 1983, it had over 6000 restaurants in United States. In 1967, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant outside the United States, in Canada. By 1985 international sales represented about one-fifth of McDonald’s total revenue. Yet fast food had barely touched many cultures. While 90% of Japanese in Tokyo had never eaten McDonald’s Hamburger, in Europe, McDonald’s maintained a very small percentage of restaurant sales but command a large share of fast food market. It took the company 14 years of planning before it opened a restaurant in Moscow. But the planning paid off. People stand in line up to 2 hours for a Hamburger. After waiting for such a long time they had to pay $14. 40 (at the official rate) for a Big Mac and French Fries. Despite the high prices, McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow attracts more visitors on the average 27,000 daily the Lenin mausoleum (about 9000 people), which used to visit the place. The taste of American Fast Food is growing more rapidly in countries abroad than at home. McDonald’s international sales have been increasing by a large percentage every year. Every day more than 18 million people in over 40 countries eat at McDonald’s. Its traditional menu has been surprisingly successful. People with diverse dining habits have adopted burgers and fries wholeheartedly. Before McDonald’s introduced the Japanese to French Fries, potatoes were used in Japan only to make starch. The Germans thought Hamburgers were people from the city of Hamburg. Now, McDonald’s also serves chicken, sausages, and salads and sandwiches. The fast, family oriented service, the cleanliness and the value accounted for much of McDonald’s success. McDonald’s was one of the first restaurants in Europe to welcome families with children. Not only are children welcomed, but in many restaurants they are also entertained with crayons and papers, a play land or may be even Ronald McDonald’s who can speak twenty languages. McDonald’s golden arches promise the same basic menu and QSC&V in every restaurant. Its products, handling and cooking procedures, and kitchen layout are standardized and strictly controlled. McDonald’s revoked the first French franchise because the franchisee failed to meet its standards for fast service and cleanliness, even though their restaurants were highly profitable. This may have delayed its expansion in France. The restaurant is run by the local manager and crews. Owners and managers must attend the Hamburger University near Chicago to learn how to operate a McDonald’s restaurant and maintain QSC&V. The main campus library and modern electronic class room (which include simultaneous translation system) are the envy of many universities. When McDonalds’s opened in Moscow, a one page advertisement resulted in 30,000 inquiries about the job; 4000 people were invited, and some 300 were hired. The pay is about 50 % higher than the average soviet salary. McDonald’s ensures consistent products by controlling every stage of distribution. Regional distribution centers purchase products and distribute them to individual restaurants. The centers will buy from local suppliers if the suppliers meet the detailed specifications. McDonald’s has had to make some concessions to available products. For example, it is difficult to introduce the Idaho potato in Europe. McDonald’s uses essentially the same competitive strategy in every country: Be first in the market, and establish your brand as rapidly as possible by advertising very heavily. New restaurants are opened with a bang. So many people attended the opening of the Tokyo restaurant that the police closed the street vehicles. The strategy has helped McDonald’s develop a strong share in the fast food market, even though its US competitors and new local competitors likely enter the market. The advertising campaigns are based on local themes and reflect the different environments. In Japan, where burgers are snacks, McDonald’s competes against confectionaries and new â€Å"fast sushi† restaurants. Many of the charitable causes McDonald’s supports abroad have been recommended by the local restaurants. McDonald’s have been willing to relinquish the most control to its Far Eastern operations, where many restaurants are joint ventures with local entrepreneurs, owning 50% or more of the restaurant. European and South American restaurants are generally company-operated or franchised (although there are many facilities- joint venture-in France). Like the U. S. Franchises, restaurants abroad are allowed to experiment with their menus. In Japan, Hamburgers are smaller because they are considered a snack. The Quarter Pounder did not make much sense to people on a metric system, so it is called a Double Burger. Some of the German restaurants serve beer; some French restaurants serve wine. Some of the eastern restaurants offer oriental noodles. But these new items must not disrupt existing operations. Despite success, McDonald’s faces tough competitors such as Burger King, Wendy’s, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and now also Pizza Hut. Fast food in reheat able containers is now also sold in super markets, delicatessens and convenience stores, and even gas stations. McDonald’s has done very well, with a great percentage of profits coming now from international operations. Aiming to be the world’s best quick service restaurant, McDonald’s opened first store in Pakistan in September 1998. Since then they have opened seventeen new stores throughout Pakistan. Today millions of Pakistanis place their trust in McDonald’s everyday to provide them with food of a very high standard as well as good service. In the past five years, the response to McDonalds coming to Pakistan has been overwhelming. Today Lakson Group of Companies has taken over McDonalds Corporation, USA and a local partner making it a 100% owned and operated Pakistani company. McDonalds located in Pakistan are currently employing about 1,000 Pakistanis and each store is managed by Pakistani managers. They have also contributed in other ways than food service. McDonalds has investment of over Rs. 300crore in the country and payment of taxes and duties amounting to more than Rs. 100crore. McDonald’s is operating, presently in 6 cities of Pakistan Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in future, very soon planning to expand in many cities in Pakistan. Instructions †¢ Read the case carefully (you may not understand it first time so read again and again) †¢ It’s better to take out prints and highlight the important information †¢ Read and understand the question carefully. †¢ After understanding question, read the case again and find the important information which is relevant †¢ Your answer should not exceed 300 words †¢ To count your words select the paragraph, then in tools menu select word count †¢ Irrelevant, extra material and long answers (more than 300 words) will be awarded zero †¢ Copied material from any source will be graded zero Question What opportunities and threats did McDonald’s face? How did it handle them?

Ply and Other Words from the Fold

Ply and Other Words from the Fold Ply and Other Words from the Fold Ply and Other Words from the Fold By Mark Nichol Looking into the origin of ply as a result of thinking about the expressions â€Å"plying [someone] with drinks† or â€Å"plying [someone] for information,† I found etymological connections to an interesting variety of terms. Here are some words related to ply based on its Latin ancestor. Ply derives from the term plicare, meaning â€Å"to fold.† Generally, words ending in -ply that have a long-i sound are related to ply and each other; those with a long-e sound (such as deeply) merely have a root word ending with p, followed by the adverbial ending -ly. The exceptions to the first class are comply and supply; in each case, the second syllable stems from plere, the Latin word meaning â€Å"to fill† (though the sense of â€Å"agree† for the former is influenced by ply). The senses of ply in the first sentence, and others, are from a shortening of apply and derive from the related meaning of â€Å"bend†; when you ply someone with drinks or for information, you are bending (that is, manipulating) that person. Another meaning of ply is â€Å"travel regularly,† related to the sense in the phrase â€Å"ply a course.† One can also ply one’s trade, meaning â€Å"conduct business† or suggesting diligent practice or performance. The name for the ballet movement called the plie, from French, is related. Ply is also a noun meaning â€Å"a layer† or â€Å"a fold†; plywood (and its daffy derivate, plyboo, referring to plywood made from bamboo) stems from this word, and it is the source of references to strands of yarn or layers of fabric or paper. When you multiply, you create many folds; multiply originally meant simply â€Å"increase† and only later acquired its mathematical sense of increasing an amount by an equal amount a given number of times. Similarly, to duplicate or triplicate and so on is to create two or more folds or iterations. A plier, meanwhile, is someone who or something that bends or folds, hence pliers for the name of a hand tool. Something that is easily plied is pliable or pliant; the former generally refers to an object, while the latter adjectival form is usually applied to a person who is submissive or easily influenced. (The synonym compliant is based on the unrelated comply.) Reply, meaning â€Å"to give an answer,† originally carried over into English the literal Latin meaning of â€Å"fold back,† but that sense is obsolete. Meanwhile, apply basically means â€Å"to bring something in contact with another† (and an application is something that accomplishes this task) and to imply is to involve or enfold, while to implicate someone is to involve or enfold them, and an implication is something that does just that. Employ, interestingly, comes from the same root word as imply, but it acquired a primary meaning related to hiring. Implicit, referring to something implied, is also related to imply. Something made explicit, by contrast, is unfolded, or revealed, and to explicate is to unfold, or explain, something, an action called an explication. To complicate is to make something intricate as if it has been folded; a complication ensues. Complicit and its noun form complicity are related, as is accomplice, denoting someone who has been enfolded in a crime or a scheme. Complex, meanwhile, is also related, stemming from the Latin word for â€Å"braid† or â€Å"weave,† as is the rare antonym simplex and their noun forms complexity and simplicity. Plait and its variant pleat, each of which serves both as a noun and a verb, share an origin with ply through French, as does plight, which originally had a neutral connotation of â€Å"condition† but later developed a sense of being in danger. (An unrelated meaning of plight, which stems from pledge, was â€Å"promise†; the negative sense of plight that means â€Å"a dangerous situation† may derive from confusion with the other meaning of plight, in that a pledge or promise often entails risk.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One SpellingSelect vs. SelectedQuiet or Quite?

The eNotes Blog New Tennessee Williams Short StoryUncovered

New Tennessee Williams Short StoryUncovered Williams Crazy Nights is set to be published after spending 80 years hidden from the public. Another day, another case of newly uncovered literature from a deceased author. Last year, we heard of recent discoveries of work from Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Today it was revealed that famous Southern playwright Tennessee Williams has new work for readers to enjoy. The story is described by the Guardian as one in which a college freshman recounts the details of a romance that reaches the ultimate degree of intimacy before ending. Its believed that the story actually describes Williams own relationship with his college  girlfriend Anna Jean ODonnell, who shares a name with the love interest of Crazy Nights. If thats the case, the short could provide the puzzle piece missing from fans insight into  Williams romantic life. Crazy Nights is set to be published in The  Strand  magazine. Managing editor Andrew Gulli describes how this latest reveal reflects the writing style of Williams other famous works, like  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof  and A  Streetcar Named Desire: It seems to have been written when Williams was rather young, probably around the 1930s.  There is a theme of disappointment, the old mendacity theme from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He could show how, beneath the cloak of respectability, his characters had horrible insecurities and dark secrets. Williams was a master of showing the desperation and need humans have for companionship, and was equally skilled at showing how relationships go sour and lead to cynicism. Well, we at are certainly looking forward to the new material! How about you? For more on Tennessee Williams, check out biography and study guides to his famous works below: Tennessee Williams Biography The Glass Menagerie Study Guide Cat on a Hot Tin Roof  Study Guide A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide

Patient Satisfaction and Retention Strategies in Hospitals Thesis

Patient Satisfaction and Retention Strategies in Hospitals - Thesis Example This paper illustrates that the performance of any hospital is dependent on the patient satisfaction and retention strategies for hospitals. Studies have been conducted on how hospitals can improve their patient satisfaction and retention strategies, as well as, how hospitals can attract patients. However, the studies did not explain explicitly the tactics that can be implemented to help attract patients and retain them at the same time. Therefore, the need to understand and analyze various factors that can help in improving patient satisfaction and retention in hospital settings. Although studies have been conducted to establish why different hospitals perform better than others, employee satisfaction has always satisfaction has always been a very important tool for medical staff. Staffs who are content will be more productive than discontented staff and will also have the low turnover of staff. The question of why some hospitals perform better than others is asked by many and by co nducting a research on the patient satisfaction and retention strategies on Sheikh Khalifa some of the questions will be answered. Though sickness is not something that can be wished for it is foolish or naà ¯ve to ignore the fact that people fall ill. It is in this context that SKMC tries to understand that treating a patient does not necessarily mean he or she is satisfied with the services offered. SKMC was built in 2005 due to the merger of publicly managed health care providers in Abu Dhabi. It encompasses several ‘Centers of Excellence’ and it is run by the Cleveland Clinic. It functions as the leading institution in SEHAs system. It is overseen by its obligation to practice modern health care services to high standards as high as the world’s best medical facilities. SKMC’s broad healthcare services provide for the priorities of the people of Abu Dhabi. It ensures both the finest levels of patient satisfaction and care and promotes overall health th rough awareness and education. SEHA is standing for Abu Dhabi Health Services and Company. SEHA is the Arabic word for health. It was launched in December 2007 and it is owned and run by the Abu Dhabi government. SEHA was launched by the government has plans to reform the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi and represent a positive milestone in the provision of the best healthcare services in the world by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa.

Refliction Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Refliction Paper - Assignment Example In the nineteenth and the twentieth century, more children were brought in as child labourers. The only time that child labour reduced was when the labour standards grew, and labour standards improved. This increased the political power of working people and social reformers to demand legislation regulating child labour (Hindman 44). These political reformers changed the lives of many children. This was least expected from them because they were the company owners who received cheap labour from these children. The history of child labour in the United States was a long reign. In history, it is said that children worked for their parents, or they were employed by an outside employer. However, child labour cases have changed. In this era child, employment is associated with a lot of risks. In addition, technology has improvised the society thus reducing much labour which fell under children responsibility. Nevertheless some of these equipment’s that are brought in companies are equally dangerous to youth and people who are not improvised to operate the machines. The most important thing that have changed my mind is that I thought the only people who were enslaved were black people but surprisingly I have come to learn that even the white people were enslaved. The most significant determinant that I think is important is that even though the children were enslaved later on they were set free in the year 1938 (Hindman 44). It is relaxing that the children would no longer suffer the torture they went