From the list below, which product example is the best example of a public good?

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Question restatement: From the list below, which product example is the best example of a public good?

Option analysis:

a. Healthcare — This is typically provided as a private good or a mix of public and private depending on the system, but it is often excludable and rivalrous in many contexts. People can be charged or restricted access, and one person’s use can reduce another’s ability to use the same resource, which breaks the pure public good criteria.

b. National defence force — This is a classic public good: it is non-excludable (you can’t prevent people from benefiting from national defense) and non-rivalrous (one person’s protection does not reduce another person’s protection). It benefits all members of the country and it is difficult to charge individuals for its provision, fitting the traditional public good model.

c. A bridge — While bridges are provided for public use, they are typically excludable (toll roads can charge users) and rivalrous during peak times (crowding can impede others). This makes bridges more aligned with a local public or club good rather than a pure public good.

d. University education — University education is excludable (access is often restricted to paying students or those with admission) and can be rivalrous in capacity-constrained settings, which again diverges from the pure public good definition.

Why the others are not best examples: The essential features of a public good are non-excludability and non-rivalry in consumption. Among the options, only the national defence fit both criteria most strongly, whereas healthcare, bridges, and university education either exclude people or reduce the amount of the good available to others when used.

Contextual nuance: In real economies, some goods are mixed (non-pure) public goods or quasi-public goods, but the strongest textbook example that cleanly satisfies non-excludability and non-rivalry is national defence.

In summary, the best public-good example among the provided choices is the national defence force, because it provides protection to all residents without excluding individuals or reducing others’ enjoyment of that protection.

MUF0061 Economics Unit 1 - Semester 1, 2025 Revision Quiz: Public Goods (5 - 7 minutes)

From the list below, which product example is the best example of a public good?

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