In economics, a public good is a good that is both non-excludable and non-rivalrous in that individuals cannot be effectively excluded from use and where use by one individual does not reduce availability to others.
Questions tagged [public-goods]
44 questions
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Why are there fewer high schools than elementary schools?
In nearly every public school district in the U.S., one can observe the following pattern: There are fewer middle schools than elementary schools. And there are fewer high schools than middle schools. (And the count of students per school goes…
FreeMarketUnicorn
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Why is a fire service considered to be a non-rival service, while a highway is considered to be a rival good?
We consider highways to be an example of an impure private good because while it is non-excludable, it is a rival good. That is, another person's consumption (usage) of the highway affects my usage of it.
In that same sense, wouldn't a fire station…
WorldGov
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What are examples of public goods where marginal individual contributions tend to zero?
I am looking for examples of public goods that are such that the marginal contribution of an individual increases their provision by an amount that is close to zero.
For instance, climate change is one of them (although here one could speak of…
ju_pi_car
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How is it decided whether a societal need should be met by using a public project or private enterprise?
I know this is a large question, so I'm looking for a broad, general understanding only. Are there any principles using which it may be decided to meet a societal need using a public project rather than private enterprise, in a free market economy?…
Joebevo
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