This is interesting. Examining the tragedy/drama of the commons based on scale is such an interesting subject. A small group (village) might be able to find a sustainable grazing rate for pasture if all the individual actors are known and accountable (community). Organizing to protect a global commons (the ocean) seems impossible. Is this the community vs. public issue you are describing. Ive wondered the same thing about representative governement. Is there a population scale at which it simply ceases to function.
Discussion
I think so yeah, organisations can have broad aspirations and values but their application of those will always be specific and narrow. Thus it is important to deliniate what specific aim/community/group/pasture/etc is of concern to the organization. And thus there must be a limit where an organisation stops functioning since its 'specific' application is not specific anymore and thus too broad. However, when it comes to a common resource that cannot defend itself from capital strip mining it becomes harder since it wont be able to be specifically defined. I think it is possible to defend the commons but it takes a cultural change to defend those. Maybe downstream from having hard money with strong values this will become possible. As a community it is possible to reject to coordinate with the exploiter and possibly if enough communities have strong values and take a stand, the cost vs. benefit could outweigh the free rider behaviour. The community will have to act as an individual and the individual as a community (I am because we are, and we are because I am). What do you think? Do you perhaps have resources (articles, books, movies, etc.) that might be interesting to me and could give me some perspective. There must've been more people thinking about this, right?