Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Economics

Chapter

Macro Economics: Government Budget and Economy

Question:

Which of the following statements is true about public goods?

(A) Public goods are non rival in nature.
(B) Public goods are non-excludable in nature.
(C) Public goods may be produced by the government or the private sector.
(D) Public goods and public production can be used interchangeably.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below.

Options:

(A), (B) and (C) only

(A), (B) and (D) only

(A), (B), (C) and (D)

(B), (C) and (D) only

Correct Answer:

(A), (B) and (C) only

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (C) only

  • (A) Public goods are non rival in nature. (True). Non-rivalry means that one person's consumption of the good does not reduce its availability to others. For example, my enjoyment of a lighthouse beam does not prevent you from enjoying it too.

  • (B) Public goods are non-excludable in nature. (True). Non-excludability means it is impractical or impossible to prevent non-payers from consuming the good. For example, you can't stop a non-payer from benefiting from national defense.

  • (C) Public goods may be produced by the government or the private sector. (True). A public good is defined by its characteristics (non-rivalry and non-excludability), not by who produces it. For example, a government might hire a private company to build a non-excludable, non-rival road (a public good).

  • (D) Public goods and public production can be used interchangeably. (False).

    • Public goods are defined by the characteristics of non-rivalry and non-excludability.

    • Public production (or public provision) means the good or service is provided by the government.

    • These terms are not interchangeable. The government can produce private goods (e.g., mail delivery in some countries), and the private sector can sometimes produce public goods (as noted in C).