๐Ÿ“œintro to political science review

Public goods

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Public goods are services or products that are provided by the government or a non-profit organization and are available to all members of a society, regardless of whether they pay for them directly. These goods are characterized by their non-excludability and non-rivalry, meaning no one can be prevented from using them, and one person's use does not reduce their availability to others.