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Kasz216 on 02 May 2011
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Squilliam said:
Kasz216 said:
Squilliam said:

The level of precision required depends on what work is actually being done. Being too precise can be inefficient and can cause people to get bogged down in minutae details which would otherwise be indistinguishable from noise. If you define the best answer as the most efficient answer in that the least effort is required to get a desired outcome then you would not expect a government to be precise in order to act at the maximum possible efficiency. Even if exceptions exist, dealing with the exceptions on a case by case basis can be more inefficient than simply accepting the existance of exceptions.

Unless you are specifically talking about these exceptions?  Which you know... we are.  Though I would note that Public Goods are filled with nothing but exceptions. 

FIlled with nothing but exceptions? Would you care to actually list a few major categories of exceptions if you feel that way?

How do you mean?  Everything listed in Public goods by definition are an exception.  A public good is a good that is unrivalable and non-exludable.

There are no goods that actually fit those qualifcations, just goods that are "close enough" that they are classified as such.  Which of course is debated by various people what qualfies as "close enough."

Roads aren't unrivalable, as can be attested to by anyone who has tried to drive hom during rush hour in a busy city. 

Even Oxygen isn't unrivalble because there is a finite amount of it.

I can't think of anyting unrivaled and non-excludable.


The closest I can think of is computer programs... but even then you need the hardware to use it... and ironically the private sector provides those.   (Much to their chargrin as far as piracy goes.)