Title: Collective action problem - Wikipedia
Headings: Collective action problem
Collective action problem
Contents
Prominent theorists
Early thought
Modern thought
Theories
Game theory
Prisoner's dilemma
Evolutionary theories
Psychological theories
Public goods
Replenishing resource management
Tragedy of the commons
Social traps
Perceptual dilemma
In conflict
In politics
Voting
Environmental policy
Factors promoting cooperation in social dilemmas
Motivational solutions
Strategic solutions
Structural solutions
Conclusions
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Content: Social dilemmas can take many forms and are studied across disciplines such as psychology, economics, and political science. Examples of phenomena that can be explained using social dilemmas include resource depletion, low voter turnout, and overpopulation. The collective action problem can be understood through the analysis of game theory and the free-rider problem, which results from the provision of public goods. Additionally, the collective problem can be applied to numerous public policy concerns that countries across the world currently face. Contents
1 Prominent theorists
1.1 Early thought
1.2 Modern thought
2 Theories
2.1 Game theory
2.1.1 Prisoner's dilemma
2.2 Evolutionary theories
2.3 Psychological theories
3 Public goods
4 Replenishing resource management
4.1 Tragedy of the commons
5 Social traps
6 Perceptual dilemma
6.1 In conflict
7 In politics
7.1 Voting
7.2 Environmental policy
8 Factors promoting cooperation in social dilemmas
8.1 Motivational solutions
8.2 Strategic solutions
8.3 Structural solutions
9 Conclusions
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
Prominent theorists
Early thought
Although he never used the words "collective action problem," Thomas Hobbes was an early philosopher on the topic of human cooperation. Hobbes believed that people act purely out of self-interest, writing in Leviathan in 1651 that "if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies." Hobbes believed that the state of nature consists of a perpetual war between people with conflicting interests, causing people to quarrel and seek personal power even in situations where cooperation would be mutually beneficial for both parties. Through his interpretation of humans in the state of nature as selfish and quick to engage in conflict, Hobbes's philosophy laid the foundation for what is now referred to as the collective action problem. David Hume provided another early and better-known interpretation of what is now called the collective action problem in his 1738 book A Treatise of Human Nature. Hume characterizes a collective action problem through his depiction of neighbors agreeing to drain a meadow: