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Spring 2021

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 36, Number 1

“Public Good” or “Good for the Public?” Political Entrepreneurship and the Public Funding of Scientific Research

Ryan Safner, Hood College

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise36(1),2021,17–44“PublicGood”or“GoodforthePublic?”PoliticalEntrepreneurshipandthePublicFundingofScientificResearchRyanSafner*HoodCollege______________________________________________________AbstractPublicgoodsaretraditionallyclassifiedaccordingtoanexogenous,technologicaldefinitionofpossessingthecharacteristicsofnonrivalryandnonexcludability.Thispapertakesamoreendogenousapproach,wheregoodsaredefinedbythepoliticalpurposesthatspecificactorshaveregardingthesegoods,andemergethroughpoliticalentrepreneurship.Iusegovernmentsponsorshipofbasicscientificresearchasacasestudy.Proponentsarguethatscientificresearchconstitutesapublicgoodrequiringgovernmentassistance,butinfact,governmentprovisionofscienceisendogenous,andbetterexplainedbythepoliticalentrepreneurshipinvolvedinconvincingthepublicofthesuperiorityofpoliticaloverprivateprovision.______________________________________________________JELCodes:H40,H41,B25,D70Keywords:publicgoods,publicchoice,politicaleconomy,science,scientificresearch,politicalentrepreneurshipI.Introduction“Publicgoods”areoneofseveralconceptsineconomicswherenoneconomistsassumetheeverydaymeaningofthephraseandthenunwittinglycommitfallacies.Asktheaverageundergraduatetoprovideexamplesof“publicgoods”andtheywillinvariablyproducealaundrylistofgovernment-providedservices:roads,nationaldefense,infrastructure,healthcare,socialsafetynets,etc.Perhapstheymakethismistakebecausetheterm“publicgoods”issocloseto“publicservices,”asetofactivitiesthatiscoterminouswithwhatgovernmentsactuallyprovide.*IthankRichardWagner,EdwardStringham,DianaThomas,andthreeanonymousreviewersforhelpfulcomments.IgratefullyacknowledgetheMercatusCenterSummerResearchFellowshipforfinancialsupport.Anyremainingerrorsaremyown.

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Title	“Public Good” or “Good for the Public?” Political Entrepreneurship and the Public Funding of Scientific Research
Authors/Creators:	Ryan Safner, Hood College
Year:	2021
Volume:	36
Number:	1
Pages:	17 - 44
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	public goods, public choice, political economy, science, scientific research, political entrepreneurship

Citation:
Safner, Ryan / 2021. "“Public Good” or “Good for the Public?” Political Entrepreneurship and the Public Funding of Scientific Research." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 36(1): 17-44.