Re:Philip Greenspun's Economy Recovery Plan
by mixmax on Saturday January 03, 2009 @06:59PM
(#418788)
Sorry, rereading the comment I see that it could have been clearer.
What I was talking about is what economists call a true public service. This is a service that doesn't diminish in value when you add more users - a light tower is the classic example: The lighttower is as good a service to a ship whether it is the only one using it or there are a thousand others. Webpages are another good example.
Large countries have an advantage here: It costs the same to build a lighttower whether you are the US or Lichtenstein.
The military might have been a bad example though...
What I was talking about is what economists call a true public service. This is a service that doesn't diminish in value when you add more users - a light tower is the classic example: The lighttower is as good a service to a ship whether it is the only one using it or there are a thousand others. Webpages are another good example.
Large countries have an advantage here: It costs the same to build a lighttower whether you are the US or Lichtenstein.
The military might have been a bad example though...