Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Hardin's Theory of the Commons and the Failure of the Kyoto Accords
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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper discusses Hardin's theory of the commons and uses it to explain the success of the Antarctic Treaty and the law of the sea; and how it can also account for the failure to implement the provisions of the Kyoto Accords. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVTheCom.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of the actions being taken today; he calls it the "tragedy of the commons." This paper examines Hardins theory and argues that it is a solid tool for understanding international
relations. Hardins Tragedy of the Commons The term "commons" refers to the public land in a village; its an old term that comes from England. Hardins tragedy of the commons
is founded on the idea that inevitably, the commons will become overused and their usefulness will cease. It works like this. Suppose that there are many farmers in the village
and they all want to use the commons as pasture for their sheep. As long as there are relatively few sheep, this works well because each animal has enough to
eat (Hardin, 1968). But the human propensity is to increase, and the farmers will increase their herds, bringing those animals to the commons, until at some point the commons
can no longer support them, and their continued presence ruins the place (Hardin, 1968). The tragedy of the commons is that each farmer wants to keep bring more and more
of his sheep to the commons, never really realizing that every other farmer feels the same way (Hardin, 1968). The tragedy occurs when, as noted above, the commons is overgrazed
and no one can use it. Hardin goes beyond this simple example to consider other serious problems in light of this theory; he includes population and pollution in his studies
(Hardin, 1968). He suggests that an ever-increasing population will eventually overwhelm the planet, and that pollution can be more easily understood by considering it from this point of view (Hardin,
1968). For him, pollution means putting things into the commons, rather than taking them away. Either way, the result is the same; the commons is ruined. (Hardin, 1968). His observations
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