Distributional inequality and groundwater depletion: An analysis across major states in India
-
31/12/2008
-
Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics
The famous work of Hardin on 'The Tragedy of the Commons' explains why the Common Pool Resources (CPR) or Open Access Resources are over-exploited, degraded or depleted. The economic reason explains that "unregulated access to the CPR creates a decision making environment in which private benefits to an individual from the increased use of resources markedly exceed the incremental private cost associated with the increased use". The use of groundwater irrigation potrays similar characteristics in recent years in India despite lot of advantages in its use.