Compare and contrast the prisoner's dilemma and the tragedy of the commons. How are they similar or different?

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Compare and contrast the prisoner's dilemma and the tragedy of the commons. How are they similar or different?



Prisoner's dilemma:

In social dilemmas, choices that are individually rewarding can become collectively punishing. For example, some people might believe that littering is fairly trivial as far as crimes go, but litter can be a big problem. Have you ever noticed the side of a busy street filled with trash from littering?

A classic approach to creating social dilemmas in the lab is through using what's called the prisoner's dilemma. Imagine you and a friend have been arrested for a crime that you did indeed commit. The two of you are separated at the police station and interrogated. If you confess, you will be granted immunity, and your friend will get a harsh sentence (let's say, 10 years). If you don't confess, but your friend tells the cops that you did it, you get a harsh sentence (you go away for 10 years). If you both confess, you get a moderate sentence (you each get 5 years). Here is your dilemma: To confess or not to confess? What will your friend do?

As you can see from the figure below, in our fictitious example the consequences of our decisions are important. We could go completely free, or we could spend the next 10 years in prison. Our decision is based not only what is better for me, but what is best for the other person, and what we believe they are doing.

Tragedy of Commons:

Another analogy that is used to explore social dilemmas is the tragedy of the commons. These are acts that benefit the individual short term but lead to major negative consequences over time. Some examples include environmental pollution, and an over-fishing. These are what are called non-zero-sum games -- when one person gains the other loses.

A recent example of the Tragedy of the Commons comes from the Bluff Trail just outside of Halifax. There was a big push to get more people using the trail for hiking and nature education purposes. This is great! Unfortunately, many people were having illegal campsites and campfires, causing some significant damage to the ecosystem. Rather than shut the trail down, the Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization (WRWEO) has begun an educational campaign to facilitate outdoor engagement in ways that protect nature.

In order to solve social dilemmas we have to reframe things: Outcomes need not sum to zero; with cooperation, both can win; with competition, both can lose. Therefore we can reframe this as finding a solution through working together. But how do we solve the problem?

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