How can the tragedy of the commons as a cesspool be avoided, according to Hardin?
a. by bribing polluters not to pollute
b. by relying on the free market to develop solutions
c. by taxing polluters or passing laws regulating pollution
d. by reducing the number of people allowed to own private property
How might American nuclear disarmament harm non-proliferation?
a. Other countries will believe that the United States will maintain a secret stockpile of nuclear material.
b. American non-nuclear allies may feel the need to obtain nuclear weapons to maintain deterrence.
c. The nuclear material once held by the United States will end up in the hands of other countries.
d. A non-nuclear United States will have to enhance its conventional strength, which is more frightening to other countries than a nuclear United States.
Why is the tragedy of the commons a challenge to Adam Smith's invisible hand argument, according to Hardin?
a. It shows that people do not act rationally.
b. It questions the basic premise on which capitalism is constructed.
c. It shows that the establishment of stability and security can have unintended consequences.
d. It invalidates Smith's core assumption that individually rational decisions will produce outcomes that are collectively beneficial.
John Mueller argues that nuclear proliferation is not something to be concerned about because __________.
a. history shows that they do not deter conflict and will not be used
b. nuclear deterrence will restrain their use
c. states under the protection of nuclear powers will not want nuclear weapons for themselves
d. of the robustness of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
According to the logic of the tragedy of the commons as described in Hardin's piece, why will herdsmen keep adding cattle to the pasture even if they realize that the results will be disastrous?
a. They are not behaving rationally.
b. It is in their rational self-interest as individuals to do so.
c. They cannot understand the consequences of their actions.
d. They are not in possession of all the information they need to make a more rational decision.
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