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Public Goods: Things Everyone Can Use
Economics · JC 2 · Market Efficiency and Failure · Semester 1

Public Goods: Things Everyone Can Use

Students will learn about goods and services that are available to everyone and difficult to exclude anyone from using, like streetlights or national defense, and discuss who pays for them.

MOE Syllabus OutcomesMOE: Role of Government - Middle SchoolMOE: Basic Economic Concepts - Middle School

About This Topic

Students will learn about goods and services that are available to everyone and difficult to exclude anyone from using, like streetlights or national defense, and discuss who pays for them.

Key Questions

  1. Why is it hard for private companies to provide things like streetlights or clean air?
  2. Who should pay for things that benefit everyone, even if they don't pay directly?
  3. What happens if no one pays for public goods?

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Activities & Teaching Strategies

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Edited by Adriana Perusin, Editor-in-Chief, Flip Education
Synthesized by Flip Education from Lyman's Think-Pair-Share collaborative-discussion routine (1981)