Question 1 Report
A national museum allows visitors to enter free of charge. The government funds it because school groups can learn about history even when their families would not be willing or able to pay an admission price.
(a) State one characteristic of a public good. [1]
(b) Explain why a private firm may underprovide museum visits. [2]
(a) One characteristic of a public good is that it is non-excludable: it is difficult or impossible to prevent people from benefiting once it is provided. [1] Non-rivalry is also acceptable.
(b) A private firm may be unable to charge every person who benefits from museum visits, including school groups and wider society. [1] It may therefore be unable to earn sufficient revenue or profit to provide the socially desirable quantity, causing underprovision. [1]
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