The Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons describes how shared resources can be depleted through individual self-interest.

公地悲剧描述了共享资源如何因个人的私利而枯竭。

The classic illustration involves herders grazing their cattle on a communal pasture.

经典的例子是牧民们在一片公共牧场上放牧牲畜。

Each herder gains by adding another animal, while the cost of overgrazing is borne collectively.

每个牧民多放一头牲畜就能获益，而过度放牧的代价却由大家共同承担。

Rational decisions at the individual level thus culminate in collective ruin.

因此，个人层面的理性决策最终会导致集体的毁灭。

The concept has since been applied to overfishing, deforestation, and atmospheric pollution.

此后，这一概念被应用于过度捕捞、森林砍伐和大气污染等问题。

Conventional wisdom held that only privatisation or strict government control could avert disaster.

传统观点认为，只有私有化或政府的严格管控才能避免灾难。

The economist Elinor Ostrom challenged this assumption with meticulous fieldwork around the world.

经济学家Elinor Ostrom通过在世界各地细致入微的实地研究，对这一假设提出了挑战。

She documented communities that had sustainably managed fisheries and forests for centuries.

她记录了一些数百年来一直以可持续方式管理渔场和森林的社区。

Their success hinged on trust, clearly defined rules, and the ability to sanction those who cheated.

他们的成功取决于信任、明确界定的规则，以及惩处作弊者的能力。