Defining Global Public Goods
The definition of global public goods (GPGs) is a problematic one, the broader the definition the more complex and comprehensive the institutional transformation required to provide them. At a conceptual level public goods are considered pure when consumption thereof is regarded as both non-excludable and non-rival. Without the capacity to charge individual users, and with most benefits externalised to other users or future generations, pure public goods tend to be (a) prone to free-riding, (and (b) hence are under-supplied and (c) require public sector provision with grants (rather than loans) which are funded from taxes.
