I was sitting on the beach with my cousin, and she was telling me how nice it was to "share the air, to breathe together with others." That got me to thinking about other situations where people feel good about enjoying a resource together (yes, I lapsed into economic jargon). Air is still a public good -- I can use it without needing permission, and my use does not deny air to you. The beach and sea are also public goods -- we can all run into the waves and bounce about, enjoying together the magic of motion, buoyancy, cool and salt. So with both air and sea, we can be together, a community in peace, all enjoying those resources...
In the (perhaps romanticized) past, water and land were public goods -- there was plenty around for everyone -- we could roam from place to place, using the "endless" supply of land and water to make our existence better, to be happy. Eventually, there were enough people that things got crowded, and other people who said (in Rousseau's famous phrase), "this is mine" and property rights began to matter. For most economists, property rights are essential to the efficient use of a resource, but they also created conflict and inequality -- things that many people dislike.
Thus, we went from an idyllic past of "plenty for everyone" to a harsh present of "this is mine, go get your own." The resulting friction over property has driven politics, war and unhappiness ever since.
Few people like the present scheme, but the alternative (no property rights) is even worse. It seems that the only thing to do is to acknowledge the rights that exist (sometimes the result of unfair actions), and use politics, charity and markets to reallocate the wealth flowing from those who own to those who do not. Without these forms of "sharing," we are likely to resort to conflict and anger -- and that's no fun.
Bottom Line: Although we all want to return to an era of "take what you want," that's often impossible. Property rights are the least-worst "solution" in a world where demand for resources exceeds supply. Let's embrace them, and then go down to the beach to enjoy a little bit of endless wealth.
Friday, July 3
Peace Sharing and Public Goods
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1 comments:
"I have a seashell collection.
I keep it on the beaches of the Earth.
Perhaps you have seen it."
Steven Wright
Also, on the 'idyllic past,' remember that in that past, you were part of a tribe fighting for resources. If you were a male, you were likely to get killed before you were 25. If you were a woman, you were likely to be taken into slavery by another tribe. There was seldom enough to eat. The average life expectancy was 25. Most children died before they were 2 years old. And, infectious diseases, bad water, and lack of food kept the human population of the planet not at 6.75 billion but below 300 million, ninety five percent of whom, until about 1925 in Europe and the U.S., were serfs.
This is less idyllic than would tempt me.
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