THE IGNORED DEFICIT IN PUBLIC GOODS

ABSTRACT: The federal government’s budget deficit is getting more attention than it deserves. It is half of what it was in 2009 and is at what economists consider a manageable level. Meanwhile, our deficit in investments in public goods is being almost totally ignored. Public goods are things of value to society but in which individuals, businesses, and other private organizations don’t and won’t invest.

These public goods are essential to a prosperous society. However, the US has been under-investing in public goods for decades. The paradox of public goods is that they are forgotten, unacknowledged, and in effect invisible when they are readily available.

Government spending on public goods has been in a relatively steep decline since the 2008 economic crash. And for the 30 years before that the investment in public goods had been in a slow decline.

Those opposed to a robust government, ideologically or due to self-interest, have engaged in an active campaign to get the public to forget the personal and societal benefits they receive from government. A discussion about public goods is largely missing from our media and society.

We need to correct this omission in our discourse and our investment in order to have a prosperous society. Without necessary public goods, we cannot maintain our health and productivity as individuals; nor will we be able to maintain the health and productivity of our businesses and ultimately those of our economy and society.

FULL POST: The federal government’s budget deficit is getting more attention than it deserves. It is half of what it was in 2009 and is at what economists consider a manageable level. (See post of 4/6/13. [1]) Meanwhile, our deficit in investments in public goods is being almost totally ignored.

Public goods are things of value to society but in which individuals, businesses, and other private organizations don’t and won’t invest. Public goods provide public benefits and require collective efforts and responsibility. Therefore, the public sector, namely government, must take responsibility for them. Children’s education, from birth through high school and beyond, is a classic example. Transportation infrastructure is another, including roads, railroads, bridges, airports, and ports. Other examples include parks, libraries, scientific research, public and individual health (including healthy air and water), and public safety (including safe communities, workplaces, homes, food, and medicine). A large, thriving, economically solid middle class may be the ultimate public good.

These public goods are essential to a prosperous society. [2] However, the US has been under-investing in public goods for decades. Part of the reason for this is that when they are present and functioning effectively, we forget about them – they are out of sight and out of mind. This is the paradox of public goods: they are unacknowledged and in effect invisible when they are readily available. We forget that there was a need or problem that has been addressed. Or we don’t realize that a problem, such as polluted drinking water, could occur if we don’t invest in protective and preventive measures. We forget that public expenditures by government were what met the need, maintain the solution, and prevent problems. [3]

However, here in the US, we are beginning to notice our public goods deficit. We’ve had bridges collapse or be closed because they are unsafe. Many of our school buildings are old, out-of-date, and in some cases unsafe. Students are leaving college with huge debts. Local governments are cutting police, fire, and school personnel. Our middle class and its economic security is dwindling. And so on.

Government spending on public goods has been in a relatively steep decline since the 2008 economic crash. And for the 30 years before that the investment in public goods had been in a slow decline. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith warned us way back in the 1950s that improper government budget priorities could lead to “private opulence and public squalor.”

In addition to the invisibility of public goods, those opposed to a robust government, ideologically or due to self-interest, have engaged in an active campaign to get the public to forget the personal and societal benefits they receive from government spending and actions. They have explicitly labeled government as the problem not a solution to problems. In fact, a survey of the public found that 94% of those who reported never receiving a benefit from a government program had indeed received benefits from one or more government programs and on average from four programs. [4]

A discussion about public goods is largely missing from our media and society. The notion of air, water, parks, and so forth, as shared public goods that require and deserve public investment is mostly missing from public consciousness. Our discussion of the production of wealth and goods by the private sector is robust, but the discussion is atrophied in terms of the role of the public sector and of the public goods that it produces, maintains, and protects.

We need to correct this omission in our discourse and our public spending in order to have a prosperous society. Without necessary public goods, we cannot maintain our health and productivity as individuals; nor will we be able to maintain the health and productivity of our businesses and ultimately those of our economy and society.