Cultural theory and management of common property resources

Clearcutting Maine: Implications for the Theory of Common Property Resources

One of the basic tenets of the theory of common property resources is that private property rights work to conserve natural resources. There is growing evidence, however, that some large forest owners in Maine are cutting their forests heavily, using poor-quality silviculture techniques. This overexploitation is being done by paper companies, forest contractors, and some private land owners, wh...

Displacement and Alienation from Common Property Resources

Animal Genetic Resources Management and Property Rights

Animal Genetic Resources Management and Property Rights Approximately 2 billion people depend on livestock for at least part, and in some cases most, of their livelihood. The poorest livestock keepers are the ones that most need animals that are tolerant of high temperatures and resistant to diseases and drought. These genetic characteristics are referred to as animal genetic resources (AnGR). ...

Social Opinion and the Use of Common Property Resources∗

Public opinion formation plays a very important role in economic policy development. Opinions put forward in various social platforms offered by the media and the Internet have a large impact on international treaty negotiations. In particular this seems to be the case for international negotiations regarding the abatement of greenhouse gasses. In this paper we argue that social opinion formati...

Ambiguity, Social Opinion and the Use of Common Property Resources∗

In this paper we argue that ambiguity, combined with social opinion formation, can be used as the foundation of a game-theoretic equilibrium concept that transcends the standard Nash equilibrium concept, applied to a model of the tragedy of the commons. Our approach sheds light on the international environmental crisis and the relevant ongoing international negotiations. We conclude that social...