Journal-Ronaldo-M-Gripaldo

The Concept of the Public Good

Introduction

Rolando M. Gripaldo argues that the concept of public good encompasses both politico-ethical and politico-economic dimensions, with the primary beneficiaries being the general public. The government approaches public goods with a service orientation while private corporations focus on profit motives. The paper also introduces mixed public goods pursued by private entities for community service and discusses public bads such as corruption, pollution, and crime.

Public Good from the Politico-Ethical Sense

Definition: Communal or national public goods which benefit the population.Perceptions: Public goods must be recognized as beneficial by the populace, relying on ethical and utilitarian standards that necessitate collaboration for the common welfare. Unity and subsidiarity are key.Government Perspective: National and local governments identify necessary public services—like education and public health—as public goods, reflecting a utilitarian belief about the populace's needs.

Communal vs National Public Good

Communities may resist national projects (e.g., large infrastructure) if they conflict with local interests. An example cited is a dam that provides national benefits but displaces ancestral lands, emphasizing the tension between national and communal perspectives.

Role of Government

Two Approaches: There is a distinction between national public goods pursued by civil societies versus those supported by the government. Both aim to improve social welfare, but the means may differ. Government initiatives addressing public goods, such as poverty alleviation, often yield insufficient funds leading to civil societal interventions.

Public Good from the Politico-Economic Sense

Microeconomics: Economic views consider public goods as projects benefiting individual or collective profits, identifying criteria of nonrivalry and nonexcludability as ideal.Private Good Dynamics: Public goods can often become excludable due to property rights and emerging environmental issues, complicating their theoretical definitions.

Types of Goods

• Public Public Goods:

  • Recognized by government and citizens as essential contributions to societal welfare.

  • Exemplified by national defense, public education, and public parks, which provide benefits without diminishing the availability to others (nonrival) and where access is not restricted (nonexcludable).

  • Typically funded through taxation, ensuring communal access.

• Private Public Goods:

  • Provided by private entities with the intention of making profits, but also delivering social benefits.

  • These include services like private hospitals and education institutions that aim for a dual outcome of profitability and community service.

  • The competitive nature may lead to varying quality and accessibility.

• Mixed Public Goods:

  • Provided by either private sectors or civil society organizations, aimed at enhancing community welfare without a primary focus on profit.

  • Examples include community health initiatives and local libraries.

  • Often dependent on collaborations across multiple sectors to be effective, inviting both public and private investment.

Public Bads

These are undesirable societal impacts, such as corruption and pollution, which the public and government work to mitigate. The acknowledgment of these 'bads' triggers demands for regulation and reform.

Conclusion

Gripaldo advocates for redefining public good in practical and ethical terms. The essential tenets include a recognition that the public good serves the general populace, facilitated by both private and government actions, with economic rationality guiding these pursuits.

Key Observations

Public good benefits all; the government pursues it for communal welfare, while the private sector often engages for profit. A philosophical consideration remains on how to balance communal heritage against the perceived greater good in national projects. Rational interactions between private and public sectors are critical for effective public good realization, and contradictions in these pursuits often yield negative societal effects.