Tragedy of the Commons: an Explanation of the Theory and its Lessons for Us

Since it was published in 1968, Garret Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons” has been cited more than 38000 times &has been significantly influential in many areas of public policy. By explaining the logic of collective action in exploiting the commons &the inherent tragedy of that logic, Hardin provided us with a strong theory to comprehend some of our most fundamental problems in Iran, such as the water crisis. However, we have not employed the insights of that theory in explaining our public issues as deserved. The present article aims to provide a review &an interpretation of Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons” concerning its theoretical &practical context as well as its importance &explanatory power. In the end, the article discusses examples of the possible application of Hardin’s theory to some public issues in Iran.