Abstract
Global public goods are hard to define. Even though, there is a consensus about the definitions of public goods and collective goods, there exists different approaches. Public goods are supposed to be available for all and they are characterized by two principles: non-rivalry, which means that the consumption of the good by a person does not prevent its consumption by another one, and non-excludability, that means that no one can be excluded from the consumption of the good. When a good does not fulfill these two characteristics, then the public good is impure. One typical example of public good is the traffic control system or national security, which benefits all the citizens in a country. Public goods can be regional, national or even global. Thus, global public goods are a set of international goods whose benefits are supposed to be enjoyed by the governments and the people of all states. Many examples of global public goods exist, for instance, scientific knowledge leading to the discovery of a vaccine, international mechanisms ensuring financial stability, regulations for telecommunications, and so on. Still, there is not a steady consensus about what the term 'global public good' means. Indeed, even though international financial stability, peace, world security, fighting global pandemics of HIV are global public goods, we are not sure to include whether or not other principles like food security, social protection or international political stability.
