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From: radford@calgary.UUCP (Radford Neal)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Solution to Free Rider problem
Message-ID: <31@calgary.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 21:08:43 EST
Article-I.D.: calgary.31
Posted: Wed Jan  8 21:08:43 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 04:23:57 EST
References: <20@calgary.UUCP> <2679@umcp-cs.UUCP> <994@mmintl.UUCP>
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Organization: University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
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> ...The free-rider problem is a mathematical
> fact, which can and sometimes does apply to real world situations.
> Restricting the range of possible actions (as by categorically ruling out
> the use of force) makes it more likely to be applicable; and often when
> it is applicable there are actions which can be taken which reduce the
> harm resulting from it; but there is no solution in general.
> 
> Frank Adams                           ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka

True in a sense. Confronted with a free-rider situation, someone will
at a minimum have to take the time to perform one of the "actions which
can be taken to reduce the harm resulting from it". This is a cost in
time which wouldn't be required if everyone altruistically paid their
"fair" share.

My proposed solution is an attempt to show a generally applicable 
mechanism for transforming a free-rider situation into a non-free-rider
situation, or at least into a more tractable free-rider situation. The
mechanism proposed (trust fund, etc.) entails certain administrative costs,
of course, but so do the coercive alternatives.

     Radford Neal