How the notions of ‘public’ and ‘public good’ have been constituted in different streams of political-economic thoughts?

 How the notions of ‘public’ and ‘public good’ have been constituted in different streams of political-economic thoughts? Do you think ‘education’ can be considered as a ‘public good?’ What will be the policy implications of considering education as a ‘public good?’ 

None excludable, nonrivalrous are describing the notion of the public good based on Samuelson's theory. the things which one user can’t prevent another user at once the time is nonrivalrous. for example, google is a public good. the people who live in several parts of the world can use it once time. like air, breath. nonexcludable is one man impossible to exclude another person from using a good. When we looking at marketing, many things are prevented to use for all people. All people can’t access all sights on google. they need to pay a fixed payment to access it.it is not public good. The security system of the state is a public good. Because the state produces security for all people of the country.no one can exclude from that even individually disagree with the national security system. 

Different economical-political ideologies had different concepts in private and public. It was based on their ideology. Neoliberalism gave much importance to privatization. and gave significant importance to ‘self-interested individuals, viz. free-market economics and a commitment to laissez-faire economics’.neoliberalism build the nation on their aspect that more based on privatization and less role of public. The very narrow prospect had in the neoliberalism. The state under the capital market can achieve all economic growth and other developments, it was the idea to maintain this ideology. The concept of the public in socialism was very different from neoliberalism. Socialism gave much more importance to the public. Anything produced by the people for benefits or any good products is considered as a public good. 

This concept is totally different from the notion of the public good.  Do you think ‘education’ can be considered as a ‘public good Impossible to give a single answer that education is a public good or private good? Education is related to both private and public good.  As the nature of public good and private good is based on state concept, education also might be a public good or private good based on stat’s interpretation on education. Because a large number of the state have the most significant role in education. Full privatized education countries providing education as a private good. If a state providing free education to all citizens of the country, it’s can be considered education as a public good. 

In the Indian context, primary, upper primary education provides by the government only can be considered public good based on Samuelson's theory. Indian education system not preventing or excluding anyone to access the school in any way. Everyone has the right and opportunities to access it. The right to free and compulsory education provides space to getting an education to all. However, 60 percent of education institutions are privatized in India, if we look at a different quality education in private and government schools, economically weeker children and disadvantaged children denied to access private schools. Even RTE reserves 25 percent for those children, benefits will only get to children who live in places there is no access to education. The children who study in elite schools and who in the government school are getting a different quality education. If everyone has not equal opportunity in access to education can’t be considered as a public good. Privatization in education institutions is private for this reason.

 

Education can’t be considered as a public good if we look at it in higher education. Indian education system insists children pay the tuition fee in higher education. Impossible for economically weaker and socially disadvantaged children to continue their higher because of payment. Here someone excluded accessing and someone not excluded accessing. The discussion of equity which gives special financial support or merit seat to poor children is not justifiable. The reason, merits quota beneficial to students who bought good marks in the class below. But the poor students who could not score good marks were prevented from accessing higher education. 

Quality education is also problematic in higher education. Education quality in well-paid colleges and public colleges are different. Job opportunity and the possibility of salary can not be equal to graduated persons from these different types of college. for these reasons again can not be considered as a public good. 

The way of getting benefits from an educated person also the consideration to public and private good. If we look this way again education is divided into both. 

The creatives produced by the educated person are beneficial to all people. When an educated person working for build a nation, all citizens get benefits from that. for getting benefits to all be considered as a public good. It can be considered as a private good if the educated person working in an institution which benefits only will go to an individual.

What will be the policy implications of considering education as a ‘public good?’

 

If education is considered as a public good, the state makes sure the opportunities to all students for accessing in both primary, secondary and higher education. policies implication important to make education public good. It will help all children who had different social-economic backgrounds to get equal opportunities in education.

 

Every different student should be able to study even institutions are insisting on tuition fees by giving enough scholarships or provide a waiver in tuition fees for whom mandatory to pay a fee. merits seats never will be based on a high score in the low classes. The government should have more places like universities and colleges for higher education. Apart from this, the government could allow more scholarships or other reservations for all kinds of students like gender, religion, linguistic, economic and etc. every student could be enrolled in the educational institution.

 

The act like RTE that providing free and compulsory education to all citizens of a country will make the broad boundary of the public good. Control of privatizations of the educational institution should be under the control of the government. The legal connection with private institutions and government institutions can work together. The government should take huge to make education more qualitative through training the teachers and providing qualified education.