Good (Economics)

A good in economics is anything that increases utility. This contrasts with a bad that decreases utility. Another way of think of it is that a good is something that you want more of, and a bad is something that you want less of. For example, leisure is a good, but work is a bad from the standpoint of the worker, though the money that is paid for work is a good. A good is often thought of as only a physical product, such as in the accounting definition as an ("accounting good"). In economics, a good does not need to be a physical object. For example, a service such as getting a haircut would be a good as long as the recipient wanted it. The broader definition economists use is valuable in thinking of many of the decisions people make among a number available choices.

Private and public goods

One of the most common ways of looking at goods in economy, illustrated in the table below, is the classic division based on:
  • is there a competition involved in obtaining a given good
  • whether it is possible to exclude a person from consumption of a given good
Classic division of goods in economy Exclusion from consumption
YES NO
Competition in consumption YES
private good: food, clothing, toys, furniture, cars
common good: natural environment
NO
club good: private schools, cinemas, clubs,
public good: national security (army and police forces)

Other good types

There are a number of different ways of looking at the concept of goods in economics including:

See also

 

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