public good
Collective societal resource
A public good is something that benefits everyone and can't be used up or restricted—clean air, national defense, street lighting.
Economists define it technically as non-rivalrous (one person's use doesn't diminish another's) and non-excludable (you can't prevent people from benefiting).
Public education is often defended as a public good.
More loosely, the public good means the general welfare of society: She devoted her career to the public good.
Inefficient resource distribution
- free riderOne benefiting without contributing
- externalityUncompensated effect on others
- subsidyFinancial assistance from government
- social welfareGovernment help for citizens
redistribution · efficiency · Pigouvian tax · cost-benefit analysis · social cost · fiscal policy
Systematic development of mind
- librariesPublic book lending institutions
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- open-sourceFreely viewable, editable code
- literacyAbility to read, write
scientific discovery · data sharing · civic education · information access · open data
Protecting a country militarily
- street lightingMunicipal outdoor illumination
- clean airUncontaminated breathable gas
- lighthousesCoastal towers with lamps
- flood controlPreventing destructive overflow
disease prevention · scientific research · firefighting · police protection · judicial system · environmental protection · vaccination programs · weather forecasting
Paved paths for vehicles
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- highwaysMajor intercity roads
- water supplyProvisioned H2O delivery system
- sewersUnderground waste conduits
electric grid · dams · ports · railways · airports · tunnels · telecommunications · sanitation
Organized group pursuit
- community ownershipAssets held by group
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
- common heritageJointly owned cultural inheritance
Public aid programs
- safety netProtection against failure
- social insuranceGovernment-backed risk pooling
- poverty reductionDecreasing numbers below subsistence
- humanitarian aidCrisis relief for sufferers
social security · unemployment benefits · food assistance · Medicaid · Medicare · child welfare · disability services · elder care
market failure
Inefficient resource distribution
- free riderOne benefiting without contributing
- externalityUncompensated effect on others
- subsidyFinancial assistance from government
social welfare · redistribution · efficiency · Pigouvian tax · cost-benefit analysis · social cost · fiscal policy
education
Systematic development of mind
- librariesPublic book lending institutions
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- open-sourceFreely viewable, editable code
literacy · scientific discovery · data sharing · civic education · information access · open data
national defense
Protecting a country militarily
- street lightingMunicipal outdoor illumination
- clean airUncontaminated breathable gas
- lighthousesCoastal towers with lamps
flood control · disease prevention · scientific research · firefighting · police protection · judicial system · environmental protection · vaccination programs · weather forecasting · basic research
roads
Paved paths for vehicles
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- highwaysMajor intercity roads
- water supplyProvisioned H2O delivery system
sewers · electric grid · dams · ports · railways · airports · tunnels · telecommunications · sanitation · flood defenses
collective action
Organized group pursuit
- community ownershipAssets held by group
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
social services
Public aid programs
- safety netProtection against failure
- social insuranceGovernment-backed risk pooling
- poverty reductionDecreasing numbers below subsistence
humanitarian aid · social security · unemployment benefits · food assistance · Medicaid · Medicare · child welfare · disability services · elder care
- civicsballot, election, ballots, Bill of Rights, branches of government
- community valuessolidarity, social cohesion, diversity, mutual respect, trust
- political philosophypolitical philosophy, political theory, political thought, social contract, natural rights
- civic engagementcivic engagement, citizen participation, civic participation, civic responsibility, civic activism
- political ethicsethical standards, conflict of interest, conflicts of interest, impartiality, moral authority
- cooperation termscooperation, collaboration, teamwork, partnership, alliance
good, public, republic, publication, publishing, publicize, publisher, publicly, republican