Difference between revisions of "Public good"
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| − | A '''public good''' is a [[good]] which is nonexcludable and nondepletable. The first condition means that it is impossible to keep anyone from partaking in the good, and the second condition means that one consumer's consumption of the good does not prevent others from consuming it. | + | A '''public good''' is a [[good]] which is nonexcludable and nondepletable (or non-rivalrous). The first condition means that it is impossible to keep anyone from partaking in the good, and the second condition means that one consumer's consumption of the good does not prevent others from consuming it. It is therefore inefficient for private companies to produce public goods, since they cannot ensure that customers pay them for it. Therefore, the government produces most public goods so it can collect compensation through taxes. |
Explained another way, a public good is available to all such that consumption by one person does not reduce its availability to others. | Explained another way, a public good is available to all such that consumption by one person does not reduce its availability to others. | ||
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| + | There is some controversy as to whether any public goods actually exist. For instance, [[lighthouse]]s were once deemed to be public goods, since anyone who sails by can use the lighthouse to avoid hitting reefs, without having to pay a fee. But in some cases, lighthouses have been funded by nearby harbors, without the need for government subsidies.<ref>[http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=757 The Lighthouse as a Private-Sector Collective Good]</ref> Likewise, radio broadcasts are non-excludable and non-rivalrous in that it is difficult to force listeners to pay a fee, but such broadcasts are usually funded through [[advertising]]. The proven economic viability of [[private security]], and the successful outsourcing of certain [[police]] services, such as bad check investigations, to private firms, suggests that even some aspects of the core government function of [[crime control]] might be [[privatized]]. | ||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
Revision as of 01:11, July 16, 2010
A public good is a good which is nonexcludable and nondepletable (or non-rivalrous). The first condition means that it is impossible to keep anyone from partaking in the good, and the second condition means that one consumer's consumption of the good does not prevent others from consuming it. It is therefore inefficient for private companies to produce public goods, since they cannot ensure that customers pay them for it. Therefore, the government produces most public goods so it can collect compensation through taxes.
Explained another way, a public good is available to all such that consumption by one person does not reduce its availability to others.
There is some controversy as to whether any public goods actually exist. For instance, lighthouses were once deemed to be public goods, since anyone who sails by can use the lighthouse to avoid hitting reefs, without having to pay a fee. But in some cases, lighthouses have been funded by nearby harbors, without the need for government subsidies.[1] Likewise, radio broadcasts are non-excludable and non-rivalrous in that it is difficult to force listeners to pay a fee, but such broadcasts are usually funded through advertising. The proven economic viability of private security, and the successful outsourcing of certain police services, such as bad check investigations, to private firms, suggests that even some aspects of the core government function of crime control might be privatized.
Examples
- National defense. It protects every resident of the country, and one person's partaking of it does not diminish its benefits to others.
- Public parks.
- The Internet.
