Introduction What is a Common Pool Resource? Common Pool resources have been defined as resources available to anyone, making them difficult to protect and easy to deplete (McKean, 2000). In reality this definition refers to ‘open access’ resources rather than ‘communal’ ones. This confusion between open access and communal resources is probably best known from the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ by Hardin (1968). In it he predicts that each person will seek to maximise their gain from the ‘commons’ and as a result the collective use of the resource will exceed it’s limits for sustainability. “Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the Read more →
