Collective Action Vocabulary

depletion of shared resources due to individual self-interest

“Overfishing exemplifies the tragedy of the commons.”

the tendency to benefit from collective goods without contributing

“National defense suffers from the free rider problem.”

difficulty in aligning actions when mutual benefit requires agreement

“Which side of the road to drive on is a coordination problem.”

a good that is non-excludable and non-rivalrous

“Street lighting is a classic public good.”

a cost or benefit affecting parties not involved in a transaction

“Pollution is a negative externality of manufacturing.”

a good that is excludable but non-rivalrous

“Streaming services are club goods.”

a resource that is rivalrous but non-excludable

“Fisheries are common pool resources vulnerable to overuse.”

creating rules to achieve desired outcomes given strategic behavior

“Auction design is an application of mechanism design.”

a system where honest behavior is in each participant's interest

“The Vickrey auction is incentive compatible.”

a situation where individual rationality leads to collective irrationality

“Climate change is a global social dilemma.”