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International Trade - Theory and Policy, 2010a

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nonexcludable because once it is there, everyone has free access to its use. It is impossible (or at least very<br />

difficult) to prevent some people from enjoying the benefits of the air. Atmospheric oxygen is also<br />

nonrival because when one person takes a breath, it does not diminish the usefulness of the atmosphere<br />

for others. Thus, if atmospheric oxygen did need to be formally produced, it would be a classic example of<br />

a pure public good.<br />

The typical examples of public goods include national security, clean air, lighthouse services, <strong>and</strong><br />

commercial-free television <strong>and</strong> radio broadcasts. National security is the public good we are most<br />

concerned with in international trade. It is a public good because, once provided, (1) it is difficult to<br />

exclude people within the country from the safety <strong>and</strong> security generated <strong>and</strong> (2) multiple individuals can<br />

enjoy the added safety <strong>and</strong> security without limiting that received by others.<br />

We know from the theory of the second best that when market imperfections are present, government<br />

policies can be used to improve the national welfare. In most cases, trade policies can be used as well. It is<br />

well known in economic theory that when a good has public good characteristics, <strong>and</strong> if private firms are<br />

free to supply this good in a free market, then the public good will not be adequately supplied. The main<br />

problem occurs because of free ridership. If a person believes that others may pay for a good <strong>and</strong> if its<br />

subsequent provision benefits all people—due to the two public good features—then that person may<br />

avoid paying for the good in a private marketplace. If many people don’t pay, then the public good will be<br />

insufficiently provided relative to the true dem<strong>and</strong>s in the country. It is well known that government<br />

intervention can solve this problem. By collecting taxes from the public, <strong>and</strong> thus forcing everyone to pay<br />

some share of the cost, the public good can be provided at an adequate level. Thus national welfare can be<br />

increased with government provision of public goods.<br />

A similar logic explains why a trade policy can be used to raise a country’s welfare in the presence of a<br />

public good. It is worth pointing out, though, that the goods highlighted above, such as agricultural<br />

products <strong>and</strong> steel production, are not themselves public goods. The public good one wishes to provide in<br />

greater abundance is “national security.” And it is through the production of certain types of goods locally<br />

that more security can be provided. For example, suppose it is decided that adequate national security is<br />

possible only if the nation can provide at least 90 percent of its annual food supplies during wartime.<br />

Suppose also that under free trade <strong>and</strong> laissez-faire domestic policies, the country produces only 50<br />

percent of its annual food supply <strong>and</strong> imports the remaining 50 percent. Finally, suppose the government<br />

Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books<br />

Saylor.org<br />

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