The fifth amendment of the United States of America’s constitution states, “…nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation” (“The Rights of Suspects,” 2016). This amendment was considered to be a very important one to many individuals because private property was a sort of luxury because before the U.S. gained independence, the land and all property belonged to the King of England. Private property is considered an excludable and individually consumed good because the property belongs in the name of only that person who owns it and it falls under the private goods category. Private goods is defined as, “Products that are excludable and rival. They have to be purchased before they can be consumed. Thus, anyone who cannot afford private goods is excluded from their consumption” (“The Different Types of Goods,” 2018). For example, the internet can arguably be a good in this category. “The interactive capacities of the internet allow certain forms of political activity to be conducted more easily” (Smith, 2014). The internet however, is not available to all. Poorer citizens often do not have internet access because they cannot afford a phone or computer, which are devices that are for the individual. Other products that can be excludable but are jointly consumed are called toll goods, such as museums or libraries. These goods are open to everyone but comes with a cost, which is where exclusion comes in because some may not want to or are unable to pay for the good. Goods that are also jointly consumed and exclusion is not feasible are public goods. National defense and street lights are part of this category because everyone is provided with them. Lastly, is non excludable but individually consumed goods, also known as common pool goods. These goods such as clean air and fish in the sea cannot be excluded to anyone but it is also only for the individual.
Some goods can be sorted into two or more of the categories, which creates a conflict among availability. Water can be a subject that is classified into more than one of the groups. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) addresses several issues, from setting limits on certain air pollutants to enforcing federal clean water and safe drinking laws” (“Pollution Issues,” 2018). Drinking water is taken from lakes and rivers which are public goods but the EPA has to be sure the water is clean enough to drink, so once that water becomes safe, it is then put into a bottle in a store and labeled as a private good. However, until the water is cleared to be drinkable, it’s still nature’s water and therefore a public good. Water can even be argued to be a toll good too. Water parks are jointly consumed for people to go to and enjoy although, it has an admission fee. This admission fee means only those willing to pay can go to the water park and those who don’t want to pay are excluded.
Water can be classified into a few goods but ultimately should be considered a public good. “Access to safe drinking water and sanitation was declared a ‘human right’ by the UN in 2010. As a human right, water cannot be treated the same way as other marketable goods because the transfer of water to those who value it most highly may be morally unacceptable if this transfer means that some people no longer have access to the basic water needed to survive” (“Understanding Water Markets,” 2018). Markets and stores have made water seem like a private good because it’s sold and bought from them. This is not the case in other countries such as in Africa, where many have to walk to rivers and lakes to get fresh drinking water. Water is a natural element in nature and should be for everyone to consume since it was declared to be a human right and necessity for survival.
