Self-interest tells us to enjoy, while letting others bear the cost of, such public goods as civil order, defence, social welfare and much of the rest of the moral and material underpinnings of society. However, in order to assure their provision, we agree to be coerced to pay for them as long as everybody else is coerced too. This book provides a novel account of the public goods dilemma. The author shows how the social contract, in its quest for fairness, actually helps to breed the parasitic "free riding" it is meant to ...
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Self-interest tells us to enjoy, while letting others bear the cost of, such public goods as civil order, defence, social welfare and much of the rest of the moral and material underpinnings of society. However, in order to assure their provision, we agree to be coerced to pay for them as long as everybody else is coerced too. This book provides a novel account of the public goods dilemma. The author shows how the social contract, in its quest for fairness, actually helps to breed the parasitic "free riding" it is meant to suppress. He also shows how, in the absence of taxation, many public goods would be provided by spontaneous group co-operation. This would, however, imply some degree of "free riding". Unwilling to tolerate such unfairness, co-operating groups would eventually drift from voluntary to compulsory solutions, heedless of the fact that this must bring back "free riding" with a vengeance. Perverse incentives are created by the attempt to render public provision assured and fair. This ambition, the author argues, is a principal cause of the poor functioning of organized society.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some wear and internal barcode may have been clipped, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.