Question

"[Related to Application 6.2] The early settlers in the United States had a disastrous experience with communal agriculture. Why does communal farming represent an instance of poorly defined and enforced property rights

Answer 1

Answer: Communal farming represents an instance of poorly enforced property rights because farmers don't have the right to make decisions on their own and are often affected negatively by the activities of others.

Explanation:

Communal farming is a type of farming whereby different farmers run their farming activities as a joint enterprise. When resources are held communally, such the resources are often abused. Garrett Hardin in his essay titled “The Tragedy of the Commons", he used the England commons to explain the problems associated with communal ownership. In the 16th century, majority of English villages had communal farming whereby pastures were available villagers for animal grazing. There was little motivation for the farmers to conserve grass for availability in the future as the grass were often exhausted without thinking about the future.