E.4.1+Explain+how+government+responds+to+perceived+social+needs+by+providing+public+goods+and+services



**//Focus Question: What are public goods?//**

 * Public goods are products that anyone can consume without reducing how much is leftover for other people (stories, websites, clean air) **
 * ** Click here for a working definition of a public good **

Follow this link for a lesson plan on public versus private goods!

Click here for a way to teach public goods through a card game

Read an economist's explanation of public goods here!

Watch a video explaining public goods!

Watch a video comparing private and public goods here

Click [|here] to review the use of public goods in the United States. Some major public goods that the U.S government provides it's citizens are Public Education- Through public libraries and public schools the United States government provides its citizens with easy access to an education. Click [|here] for an opinion piece on how American Public Education is failing it's students. [|National Parks] [|The Interstate Highway System] Fun fact- At 3,020 miles, I-90 is the longest interstate highway. It connects Seattle, Washington, with Boston, Massachusetts Listen to thi[|s song] or this [|video] for some info for understanding the number system of highway system.
 * Public Goods in the United States**

Read a paper from the //Oxford Journal// on how public goods are unequally distributed among racial groups.

Why the Federal Government Should Stop Spending Billions on Private Sports Stadiums, Brookings Institution (September 8, 2016)
 * Includes Federal Financing of Stadiums, by team, since 2000

Public Services
Public service is a service provided for the people by the government either from public funds or from financial backing from the private sector (like education, fire departments, public libraries, and public broadcasting networks)  ====