On the Private Provision of Public Goods

In my latest column in The Freeman, I discuss some real-world examples of the private provision of public goods.  Here are my opening few paragraphs:

Nobel laureate economist Elinor Ostrom's important work shows that people are very good at using voluntary action to solve problems that economics textbooks insist require the forceful hand of government. Producing "public goods" (such as irrigation systems for a community of farmers) often promises large enough gains to stir the creative juices...