Unit 1: A new example of a public good?

It could be argued that as technology increases, the number of examples of public goods is decreasing, with the road network being a case in point. But here is a possible new example that will engage students and lead to a discussion on the features of a public good.


This BBC news article reveals that the Leicester City Council have been forced to admit that they are unprepared for a zombie invasion. A concerned citizen said that the possibility of an event such as this is something that the council should be aware of. Although a zombie invasion is perhaps highly unlikely, the council do have plans for other emergencies that are also highly unlikely and admit that elements of these plans could be transferred.

So does protecting an area against a zombie invasion meet the criteria for a public good? Firstly, it is likely that the protection offered is non-excludable by price as it is unlikely that zombies can be directed to only attack those who have not paid the protection fee. Either the protection is for everybody or for no-one which also leads in to it being non-rival as use of the “umbrella of protection” by one person doesn’t mean there is less protection available for others.

So it seems that zombie protection is a good example of a public good and the obvious conclusion is that it should be provided by the government. The Leicester City Council (and others) need to get their act together!