Question
Which entity is a public good?
a private garden
an Internet provider
the military
a construction company
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The entity that is a public good among the options provided is **the military**.
Public goods are characterized by being non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning that one person's use of the good does not reduce its availability to others, and people cannot be easily excluded from using it. The military provides security and defense services that benefit all citizens, regardless of whether they individually pay for those services.
In contrast:
- A private garden is excludable and rivalrous.
- An Internet provider typically operates on a profit basis and can exclude non-paying users.
- A construction company provides services that are also excludable and rivalrous.
Public goods are characterized by being non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning that one person's use of the good does not reduce its availability to others, and people cannot be easily excluded from using it. The military provides security and defense services that benefit all citizens, regardless of whether they individually pay for those services.
In contrast:
- A private garden is excludable and rivalrous.
- An Internet provider typically operates on a profit basis and can exclude non-paying users.
- A construction company provides services that are also excludable and rivalrous.