Use of Common Property to Address the Commons Problem
Common property entails all the resources whose property rights are shared collectively by the group members. It is worth noting that the local community could be made of numerous forms of common property including oceans and lands. In the article, “Sociological Factors Influencing Customary Marine Tenure in the Indo-Pacific”, Cinner highlights the strategies that communities in the Western Pacific have undertaken to facilitate the use of common property. In line with this article, the possible use of the common property to address the problem of commons might include the use of clearly defined boundaries, effective monitoring by individuals who are part of the community and coming up with common strategies to protect the common property. In addition, collective choice agreements among members of the community could be instrumental in the use of the common property to address the problem of commons. Thesis: Common property needs to be equally organized and shared to solve the problem of commons, especially the massive increase in population and societal conflicts.
Hardlin effectively explores the problem of commons highlighting the view that the population within the society is increasing at a high rate. The population seems to be growing without limit and it puts pressure on the existing common property in the society. For instance, as the population grows, it is clear that national parks and other forms of common property, such as oceans, will remain the same hence leading to excessive pressure (Hardin 1245). The population pressure has a significant effect on the commons in the society. Firstly, it has the potential of leading to the depletion of the common resources through increased pollution and uncontrollable use of these resources by the population. Secondly, there is always likely to be a competition for the common property hence leading to conflicts within the population. It is obvious that everyone wants to obtain the resources for his/her own benefit without caring about others. Therefore, when one person receives a larger share of the common property, others might not have an opportunity to obtain it or enjoy only limited amounts of the remaining resources (Hardin 1246). In addition, the competition is likely to lead to potential fights among the commons hence straining the good relationships that are expected of individuals with shared values, traditions, and societal inclinations.
One of the possible uses of common property to address the problem of commons is the use of clearly defined boundaries. Common property can be easily used to solve the problem of commons through boundaries. It is important to note that common property can be used to determine boundaries that will satisfy the whole society in the best way possible (Cinner 3). It means that everyone will have the same rights to access the common property hence ensuring that the problem of commons is solved through defined usage of the property within the stipulated boundaries. In essence, common property can be used to address the problem of commons by creating these boundaries and ensuring that they are respected by all concerned parties to facilitate the maximum satisfaction of everyone who is supposed to benefit in the society.
Secondly, common property could be possibly used to address the problem of commons through the development of common strategies to protect the common property by involving everyone who is supposed to benefit from it. Common property is the only force that could be used to bring all members of the society together through the establishment of common strategies aimed at protecting the property. By focusing on the protection of common property, it is easy to use it to solve the problem of commons by adopting similar strategies that involve all society members to ensure it is there to stay in the right amounts for future benefit (Cinner 5). In this case, the problem of commons especially those associated with conflicts among individuals in the common society would be easily handled hence leading to an orderly and organized society. In using the common property to come up with strategies to protect them, everyone feels appreciated in the course of securing it and using it in the right manner for the benefit of all.
Moreover, it could be possibly used to solve the problem of commons by introducing the monitoring policy that essentially accommodates the interests of everyone in the society. In most cases, common property is depleted and polluted because of ineffective understanding of how it could bring people with different views together within the society (Cinner 7). Therefore, common property could be used to solve the problem of commons by establishing a monitoring approach that accommodates different views of all individuals who are supposed to use it. The monitoring approach should be designed in such a way that it involves members with varying views within the society. Using people with similar views and understandings is likely to increase the problem of commons instead of actually promoting the required level of peace in the course of common property utilization. Using common property to develop an effective monitoring approach would be instrumentally sustainable to the growing population over the years while at the same time solving the potential conflicts that are likely to affect local community.
Additionally, common property could be possibly used to solve the problem of commons through collective choice agreements among the community members, which leads to the strategic consumption of common property in turns or planned ways. In the presence of common property and the rising problem of commons of overpopulation, the property could be instrumentally utilized to develop a common agreement that might possibly introduce a routine level and nature of consumption. It eliminates tension among members of the local community, as they utilize the common property for their own growth and development within the society. Wade mentions corporate villages that need clear and perfect utilization of these resources for them to survive with the desirable level of peace and understanding (Wade 224). Common property should be at the center stage of developing the most reliable and effective patterns of consuming and planning for the future of the local community through a collective plan that does not hurt one part of the population while benefitting the rest. It will only bring some sense of balance and ensure that the problems of commons are significantly eliminated.
In conclusion, all society members possess some form of common property that must be fairly shared among them. The problem of commons is mainly associated with the increasing population in the society and the potential conflicts that are likely to occur. Thus, common property could be used to solve the problem of commons through the establishment of boundaries that ensure benefits only for the local community without other parties being involved. In addition, introducing common strategies to protect the common property is indicative of its role in solving the problem of commons. People believe in these common goals, thus they must be secured for current and future generations to benefit from it. The plan development aimed at sharing the common property is also indicative of its use in solving the problem of commons, especially where the population is diverse which can lead to the conflict while stabilizing the community.
