Smith asserted that property held-in-common that is, usable by every co-owner, would always be used less carefully than private property. Each owner would be inclined to overuse the property held-in-common because the gains would come to the individual alone, while the costs of maintenance that result from overuse would be spread among all co-owners. But a survey comparing 800 properties held-in-common with 1590 private properties showed that the properties held-in-common were in a better condition.

The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the significance, in relation to Smith’s claim, of the survey described above?

Question

Multiple choice

Did any of the owners whose property was surveyed use both properties held-in-common and private properties?
Did the owners whose property was surveyed tend to prefer using property held-in-common over using private property?
Were the users of the properties held-in-common that were surveyed atleast as prosperous as the users of the private properties?
Were there any co-owners of properties who used only properties held-in-common, and no private property?

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself

Accepted Answer

Were the private properties that were surveyed of comparable quality to the properties held-in-common before either was put to use?

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