Re: The tragedy of the commons

[John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>]

W. E. Perry wrote:

> The salient point is that there is no *property* right at issue here. The
> individual rights are a usufruct.

I think you mean that there is no allodial ownership right here;
usufructs are generally understood to be property rights.

>  The common right is a jurisdictional
> privilege, rather than a question of ownership.

Not at all.  Each user of the common had the right to pasture
his (commonable) beasts on every part of the common.  No one,
member of the village or not, had the power to restrict that
right.

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