DEMOCRACY AND AUTOCRACY'S IMPACT ON COUNTRIES' SUSTAINABILITY: The Tragedy of the Commons Revisited

This chapter revisits the ongoing debate concerning the scarcity of global resources and the increasing plausibility of the world approaching the Tragedy of the Commons due to resource depletion. Countries’ sustainability is vital globally, where governance choices significantly influence a nation’s environmental protection, overconsumption, and overpopulation. The chapter asks whether democratic or autocratic systems better safeguard the commons from overuse. It concludes that in contrast to democratic regimes, autocratic regimes governing without public consent are compelled to exert control over society to maintain power, incurring high costs. To perpetuate their rule, autocratic leaders often pursue additional resources from the global commons, displaying expansionist tendencies and a greater propensity toward warfare. They are less inclined to engage in global collaboration to seek solutions to costly environmental protection measures.