--%>

Free-rider problem

Explain the two characteristics of public goods? Describe the significance of each for public provision as opposed to private provision. Depict the free-rider problem as it associate to public goods?  Is the Canadian border patrol a public good or a private good?  Why?  How regarding satellite TV?  Describe.

E

Expert

Verified

Public goods are non-rival (one person’s consumption does not avoid consumption by another) and non-excludable (once the goods are generated nobody including free riders can be excluded through the goods’ benefits).  If goods are non-rival, there is less incentive for private firms to generate them – those purchasing the good could just let others the employ without compensation. Similarly, if goods are non-excludable, private firms are unlikely to produce them as the potential for profit is low. The free-rider problem occurs while people benefit from the public good without contributing to the cost (tax revenue proportionate to the benefit attained). The Canadian border patrol is a public good – my use and benefit does not prevent yours. Satellite TV is a private good – if the dish, receiver, and service go to my residence it can’t go to my neighbours. The fact that I could invite my neighbour over to watch does not alter its status from being a private good.

   Related Questions in Finance Basics

  • Q : What is Feasibility Study Report

    Feasibility Study Report (FSR): This is a document proposing an information technology project which contains analyses of options, cost estimates, and some other information.

  • Q : Explain intermediation Explain

    Explain intermediation.The financial system makes it achievable for surplus and deficit economic units to come together, exchanging funds for securities, to their mutual profit. While funds flow from surplus economic units to a financial institu

  • Q : Explain Generally Accepted Accounting

    Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP): The accounting rules, principles, conventions, and procedures which are employed for accounting and financial reporting. The GAAP for governments are put by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (

  • Q : Governments fiscal policy options for

    Normal 0 false false

  • Q : Explain Merit Salary Adjustment Merit

    Merit Salary Adjustment (MSA): The cost factor resultant from the periodic raise in salaries paid to the personnel occupying authorized positions. The personnel usually receive a salary raise of 5 percent per year up to the upper sala

  • Q : Compare diversifiable and non

    Compare diversifiable and non diversifiable risk. Which do you think is more significant to financial managers within a business firms?Diversifiable risk can be dealt along with by, of course, diversifying. Generally non diversifiable risk is co

  • Q : What is Working Capital and Revolving

    Working Capital and Revolving Fund: For legal base accounting purposes, fund categorization for funds employed to account for the transactions of self-supporting enterprises which render goods or services for a direct charge to the user that is genera

  • Q : Explain primary assumption behind

    Explain primary assumption behind the experience approach to forecasting?The experience approach to forecasting is depending on the supposition that things will happen a certain way in the future since they happened that way in the past. For exa

  • Q : Define Federal Fiscal Year Federal

    Federal Fiscal Year (FFY): The twelve month accounting period of the federal government, starting on October 1 and ending the following September 30. For illustration, a reference to FFY 2013 means the period starting October 1, 2012 and ending at Sep

  • Q : Define Final Budget Summary Final

    Final Budget Summary: A document generated by the Department of Finance subsequent to enactment of the Budget Act that reflects the Budget Act, any vetoes to the language and/or appropriations, technical corrections to the Budget Act, and summing up t