
About this episode
What does it mean to say that something is a market failure and that public policy ought to fix it? Can the government actually provide these goods? How often do these situations occur? What does economics have to say about these public goods problems?
Van Doren explains several key economic concepts, including the economist’s definition of a public good, Pareto optimality, and Cosean bargaining.
Peter Van Doren is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and editor of the quarterly journal Regulation. He is an expert in the regulation of housing, land, energy, the environment, transportation, and labor, and has taught at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton University), the School of Organization and Management (Yale University), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Free Thoughts publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Free Thoughts

Coming Soon: The Liberty Exchange
Free Thoughts

Fighting Government Secrecy (with Patrick Eddington)
Free Thoughts

When Is Democracy Undemocratic? (with Emily B. Finley)
Free Thoughts

Floods, Nuclear Power, and Wages (with Peter Van Doren)
Free Thoughts