tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28078378.post115459061402834042..comments2023-10-30T11:00:05.243+00:00Comments on Bacon Butty: Global public goods - the Achilles heal of globalisationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28078378.post-1155998006384088772006-08-19T15:33:00.000+01:002006-08-19T15:33:00.000+01:00Hi Caspar, you are absolutely right... most econom...Hi Caspar, you are absolutely right... most economics denies a place for pure altruism, or seeks to explain its appearance through more elaborate definitions of 'utility', which include feelings of well-being and the purgative joys of self-sacrifice or strong herding instincts which rely on the value of empathy to the individual. <BR/><BR/>I think the basic analysis of public goods helps us to identify where we should expect to find collective action failure and underprovision - but only a pointer as to where to look. Entire civilisations and social systems (perhaps all societies) have developed in response to collective action problems so you are right to point to the formation of social capital and movements as a response. I suppose what is interesting about <I>global</I> public goods is that these structures are especially weak at international level, compared to national level... so we might expect an over-provision of national public goods compared to global public goods: for example, we may immunise everyone in the UK against bird flu, but give inadequate attention to controlling the spread of the disease internationally. Shane Tomlinson is doing the main work on this at E3G... he'd probably welcome a discussion on the points you raise.Clive Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15614056019814665135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28078378.post-1155662242721278762006-08-15T18:17:00.000+01:002006-08-15T18:17:00.000+01:00The analysis sound interesting and useful, but a b...The analysis sound interesting and useful, but a bit dry? Insight into what motivates large numbers of people to behave altruistically (or at least not in very short term way with narrow view of their own interests) is also useful. Social and anthropological analysis of positive movements for change also helpful?Caspar Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667141284390082748noreply@blogger.com