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The article discusses the challenges of the people in moving ahead from the theory of Garrett Hardin. It outlines how Hardin emphasizes the overuse of the natural resources as well as its tragic consequences. It mentions Hardin's suggested solutions to prevent future natural tragedies such as state control or individual ownership. However, it points out how Hardin's analysis of the tragedy presents a universal phenomenon, and emphasizes why overharvesting occur due to shortage. It suggests the need to develop theoretical understanding acknowledge the uniqueness of the human beings.

Summary: Many debates exist among social scientists that relate to the “best” way of collecting data about important theoretical questions. As scholars, who conduct individual case studies as well as participate in large-N studies combining qualitative and quantitative data, we recognize the value of each research strategy and trade-offs in choosing between them. We support the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to build on the strengths of each. A meta-analysis of the scholarly literature indexed during 1990–2004 on collective action related to natural resource governance yielded strong evidence that small-N studies are still the dominant empirical method. The continued reliance on research designs with limited comparative scope reflects practical challenges that limit the quantity and geographic breadth of data that any one researcher can collect using field-based research. We discuss the relative merits and shortcomings of two strategies for overcoming those challenges: Meta-databases constructed from existing qualitative studies and large-N field-based studies. Resource constraints, career incentives, and, ironically, collective action problems among researchers currently limit adoption of these strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Governing natural resources sustainably is a continuing struggle. Major debates occur over what types of policy "interventions" best protect forests, with choices of property and land tenure systems being central issues. Herein, we provide an overview of findings from a long-term interdisciplinary, multiscale, international re- search program that analyzes the institutional factors affecting forests managed under a variety of tenure arrangements. This program analyzes satellite images, conducts social-ecological measurements on the ground, and tests the impact of structural variables on human decisions in experimental laboratories. Satellite images track the landscape dimensions of forest-cover change within different management regimes over time. On-the-ground social-ecological studies examine relationships between forest conditions and types of institutions. Behavioral studies under controlled laboratory conditions enhance our understanding of explicit changes in structure that affect relevant human decisions. Evidence from all three research methods challenges the presumption that a single governance arrangement will control overharvesting in all settings. When users are genuinely engaged in decisions regarding rules affecting their use, the likelihood of them following the rules and monitoring others is much greater than when an authority simply imposes rules. Our results support a frontier of research on the most effective institutional and tenure arrangements for protecting forests. They move the debate beyond the boundaries of protected areas into larger landscapes where government, community, and comanaged protected areas are embedded and help us understand when and why deforestation and regrowth occur in specific regions within these larger landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of water to secure maximum supply at costs determined by the economic situation is the engineering problem and that problem is solvable. Ahead of the engineering accomplishment is, the engineering of men. The decison of the community at large must be made. For accomplishment, its public body its semi- public water organization and its individual must unite in teamwork to pool, rearrange and compromise existing interests, to legislate and to create a competent in organization to carry out the engineering solution."1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]