1.3.3 Public Goods (Edexcel A-Level Economics Teaching PowerPoint)

This teaching powerpoint covers public goods, quasi public goods and the free rider problem.

A public good is a good or service that is non-excludable and non-rivalrous. Non-excludable means that it's impossible or very difficult to prevent someone from enjoying the benefits of the good, even if they don't pay for it. Non-rivalrous means that one person's consumption of the good doesn't diminish its availability for others. So, for example, national defense is a classic example of a public good. Everyone in the country benefits from national defence, and it's impossible to exclude someone from enjoying the benefits of national defence.