Tyranny of small decisions
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The tyranny of small decisions is a phenomenon explored in an essay of the same name, published in 1966 by the American economist Alfred E. Kahn. The article describes a situation where a number of decisions, individually small in size and time perspective, cumulatively result in an outcome which is not optimal nor desired. It is a situation where a series of small, individually rational decisions can negatively change the context of subsequent choices, even to the point where desired alternatives are irreversibly destroyed. Kahn described the problem as a common issue in market economics which can lead to market failure. The concept has since been extended to areas other than economic ones, such as environmental degradation, political elections and health outcomes.
A classic example of the tyranny of small decisions is the tragedy of the commons, described by Garrett Hardin in 1968 as a situation where a number of herders graze cows on a commons. The herders each act independently in what they perceive to be their own rational self-interest, ultimately depleting their shared limited resource, even though it is clear that it is not in any herder’s long-term interest for this to happen.
See also
Game Theory, Free rider problem, Greedy algorithm
Papers
- Kahn, Alfred E. (1966) The tyranny of small decisions: market failures, imperfections, and the limits of economics Kvklos, 19:23-47.
- Odum WE (1982) Environmental degradation and the tyranny of small decisions BioScience, 32(9):728-729.