public good
A public good is a curious asset lauded as available to all yet whose cost nobody wishes to cover. Chanting non-excludability, it becomes a target of scorn when budget lines are drawn. Praised for serving collective interests while shirking the burden onto someone else. Its rising demand torments suppliers, and abundant provision invites cries of waste. Hailed by economists in theory and reviled by politicians in practice, it is the most ironic concept ever devised.