Core Video·Market Failures
Public Goods
In this video, Professor Angela Doku explains public goods, such as streetlights and public defense, which everyone can use freely. This leads to the “free rider problem” where people are not motivated to pay for these goods since they can’t be excluded from using them. Because of this, markets often fail to provide public goods efficiently, and government intervention might be needed to ensure their availability. Public goods show how economics impacts our everyday lives.