Free Market Institute Blog

In the early 1900s, British officials in Delhi, India faced a public safety headache. Cobras were everywhere - curling in alleyways, slipping into homes, turning ordinary errands into calculated risks. The problem demanded action.

Their solution sounded airtight - offer cash for every dead cobra. Align public safety with personal profit. Kill snakes, reduce snakes, problem solved. At first, the policy delivered exactly what it promised. Dead cobras piled up. Snake sightings dropped. Officials relaxed, congratulated themselves, and poured victory tea.