<p>Common pool resources can be depleted by overuse. </p>

<p>For example, an area of communal grazing land would be a common pool resource because grazing too many animals decreases the amount of grass available to each animal. </p>

<p>Wikipedia is a common good but are not a common pool resource - reading a lot of articles on Wikipedia does not reduce the number of articles available for everyone else to read.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-02T08:20:49.793Z
Can Wikipedia be considered as a Common Good?

According to theory I have come across, for something to be a public good it has to be non-excludable and non-rival. 
For example, sunshine. Can you exclude people from enjoying sunshine? Nope. No one can be excluded.
Does sunshine have any rival, that if I am using it, someone else cannot use it? Nope. Anyone can use it. 

So, sunshine is non-rival and non-excludable. So, it is a public good.

Same goes for Wikipedia as well, that no one can be excluded from using it, and if I use Wikipedia does not mean other person cannot use it.
Sands H. Rew
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-01T17:45:07.450Z
2019-09-01T17:45:07.450Z
Angela Pretorius
<p>A useful reference is the matrix proposed by Elinor Ostrom:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/0JmEg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/0JmEg.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a><br />
Source: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239919282_Introduction_An_Overview_of_the_Knowledge_Commons" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Hess &amp; Ostrom (2007)</a></p>
<p><strong>Common-pool resources</strong> (= <strong>Common goods</strong>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_good_(economics)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>):<br />
using them impacts others + exclusion is difficult (e.g. the climate)</p>
<p><strong>Public goods</strong> (= <strong>Collective goods</strong>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1573442087800046" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a>):<br />
using them does not impact others + exclusion is difficult (e.g. knowledge)</p>
<p>i.e. what Taylor says is that privatising the atmosphere would not resolve the collective action problem; although it would make sense given that its use is subtractable (= rivalrous) it cannot be done because exclusion is difficult.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-14T11:53:55.243Z
2020-12-14T11:53:55.243Z
sba222
<p>All this time I was thinking that common-pool resources are common goods, until I read this excerpt from a book. 
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/q8VS6.jpg" alt="It is an Excerpt from a book by Elinor Ostrom"></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-01T17:19:57.307Z
Do "common goods", "collective goods" and "public goods" to refer to the same thing?
Herr K.
<microeconomics><commons>
What is the difference between Common Goods and Common Pool Resources?
Sands H. Rew
# What is the difference between Common Goods and Common Pool Resources?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-09-01)

All this time I was thinking that common-pool resources are common goods, until I read this excerpt from a book.
![It is an Excerpt from a book by Elinor Ostrom](https://i.sstatic.net/q8VS6.jpg)

**Tags:** microeconomics, commons

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do "common goods", "collective goods" and "public goods" to refer to the same thing?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-09-01. Score: 3

Common pool resources can be depleted by overuse.

For example, an area of communal grazing land would be a common pool resource because grazing too many animals decreases the amount of grass available to each animal.

Wikipedia is a common good but are not a common pool resource - reading a lot of articles on Wikipedia does not reduce the number of articles available for everyone else to read.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Can Wikipedia be considered as a Common Good?  According to theory I have come across, for something to be a public good it has to be non-excludable and non-rival.  For example, sunshine. Can you exclude people from enjoying sunshine? Nope. No one can be excluded. Does sunshine have any rival, that if I am using it, someone else cannot use it? Nope. Anyone can use it.   So, sunshine is non-rival and non-excludable. So, it is a public good.  Same goes for Wikipedia as well, that no one can be excluded from using it, and if I use Wikipedia does not mean other person cannot use it.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-12-14. Score: 2

A useful reference is the matrix proposed by Elinor Ostrom:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/0JmEg.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/0JmEg.jpg)  
Source: [Hess & Ostrom (2007)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239919282_Introduction_An_Overview_of_the_Knowledge_Commons)

**Common-pool resources** (= **Common goods**, [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_good_(economics))):  
using them impacts others + exclusion is difficult (e.g. the climate)

**Public goods** (= **Collective goods**, [Source](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1573442087800046)):  
using them does not impact others + exclusion is difficult (e.g. knowledge)

i.e. what Taylor says is that privatising the atmosphere would not resolve the collective action problem; although it would make sense given that its use is subtractable (= rivalrous) it cannot be done because exclusion is difficult.


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