Re:Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
by yummyfajitas on Tuesday June 04, 2013 @09:44AM
(#5819325)
I don't understand. The tragedy of the commons is about resource depletion in the absence of price signals. If I choose to work rather than take paternity leave, what resource am I depleting? Or more generally, what harmful externality am I creating?
> The tragedy of the commons is about resource depletion in the absence of price signals.
This is a narrow view. Think about it more generally, and you'll see that the same concept applies here.
Or you could be suffering from a Tragedy of the Commons. Your American viewpoint may be preventing you all from pooling your money together and saving overall. Instead you all have to act as individuals, and in this case it is in your individual best interests to not spend the money, since you only get the saving if you all act together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons