economics of public goods

The Environmental Gifts of the Magi

Clean air. Clean water. We receive these public goods every day without payment, as gifts from everyone to all of us.

One of the Christmas classics is the Jimmy Stewart movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Stewart’s character is feeling suicidal, until he learns how much he has unknowingly helped others and how grateful they are. It’s heartwarming if also very corny. There’s a flip side to that story: the need to remember how much others have contributed …

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Gifts We Receive Daily

Our everyday gifts: a livable climate, clean water and air, and biodiversity.

This is a time of year when by religious tradition or secular custom, many people exchange gifts. It’s worth remembering that we also reach receive daily gifts in the form of what economists call public goods. I thought it might be worth reposting some Holiday Season musings on that subject. After all, the holiday season …

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NEWSFLASH: Officials Vow to Stamp Out Recycling Fraud!!

Recycling and voting are both public goods. Just imagine if there was a campaign against fraudulent recycling like the campaign against voter fraud . . . .

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