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Free Rider Problem

created by caseyhb

(idea) by caseyhb (7.1 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Wed Apr 25 2001 at 14:09:41

The "Free Rider Problem" (or "Free-Rider Problem") is faced when a good is provided to a group, but not every individual within this group is obligated to aid in the provision of this good, despite the fact that every individual benefits from it.

A common Free Rider problem is national defense: everyone within a polity benefits from the protection its armed forces provide, but only a fraction of the total population actually provides resources to the country's defenses.

The severity of the problem is a reflection of the ratio of contributors to diminishers.

Other "problems" that are commonly encountered in either Game Theory or the social sciences:

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printable version
chaos

Chicken Tragedy of the commons Prisoner's Dilemma Game theory
Fourth World Music Polity public good Problem of Persistent Knowledge
social science monopoly The Efficient Society Lazy Eddie
Your boss can fire you for no reason Mancur Olson and Leninism moral economy ratchet theory of government growth
Huser's digital cash protocol Lighthouse Game Theory: Example games here document
The heart of the matter Raft Rider virtual communities Polish ingenuity
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