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Question:Based on the readings, pick a public good and discuss what makes it “public”through the lens of at least two theoretical frameworks discussed in the readings this week. What Makes a Good a Public Good?Why is the chosen good considered a public good? Write 1-2 pages response and support  with compelling examples.
In order to better evaluate the inner workings of a political system, key concepts must be understood and analyzed. Parts of the political system control the distribution and development of public and common goods. What are public and common goods? Why are they important, and what are some of the issues surrounding public/common goods?Public goods can be generally defined as “a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society, either by the government or a private individual or organization” (Samuelson, 1954).Public goods can be both non excludable and non rivalrous. This means that individuals can not be excluded from using or taking advantage of these goods and that the use of these goods does not reduce the availability of the goods to others.Examples of public goods include the national defense, mass transit systems, public school systems, police/fire department, libraries, prisons, as well as knowledge, information and ideas. In these examples,no one can be excluded from access to or benefits from these goods (non-excludable) and the use by one person does not reduce the amount or benefits available to another person (non-rivalrous).Common goods differ from public goods in that they are rivalrous. This means that someone’s use or consumption does reduce the availability of the good to others.
Examples of common goods are clean air, public water sources, grazing land, oceanic fisheries, public forests, and atmospheric functions (climate,air quality) (Gentry, 2009).One contentious issue that often arises involves free riders. A free rider can be thought of as a consumer or user of a public/common good who does not pay for the benefits or consumption of that public good. For example, someone who uses the interstate highway system but does not pay the taxes used to build and maintain the system would be considered a free rider. The ability to force free riders to pay for their use or consumption of a public good is often discussed, and methods such as “shaming” or “stigmatizing”are usually suggested along with legal tools such as lawsuits, wage garnishment,or compulsory taxation (Gentry, 2009).

References
Gentry, D. (2009, May 11).Public goods and common goods [Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch.
Samuelson, P. A. (1954). The pure theory of public e
xpenditure. Review of Economics and Statistics
36(4).