I’m not sure if I’m going to class the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. For a variety of reasons, from traffic to family reasons to just wanting to spend a few days with Mom’s cooking, I’m still on the fence about my attendance. But will I get sent the notes for free? Well, if class notes are a public good, I will.
But are class notes a public good? Well, let’s run it through our two-pronged
test of non-rival and non-excludable. I think most of us would agree that
sharing class notes with a friend does not reduce our utility. Unless we are to
get into a debate about how sharing notes with a friends could change a class
curve at the end of the semester, I believe we can all get behind an unchanged utility
function if our friend gets sent notes from class if they’re sick. Indeed, with
this definition, some Samuelsonian economists might consider it a public good.
But what about excludability? In fact, it’s probably pretty easy to exclude me
from notes from a day I missed. Even if I text a friend, they could ignore me
or decline. They could charge me or even engage me in a bidding war for a picture
of notes from Mr. Coppock’s lecture.
But what about socially? If a friend texted you, asking for notes from a day
they were sick, would you really ask them their price? Would you ignore their
text? I think not. Thus, I argue that class notes are socially
non-excludable. Indeed, I can be quite dramatic. “my mom misses me dearly” “my
dog wimpers each night I’m gone” “I haven’t seen my Gam Gam in years,” I could
probably think of half a dozen excuses to miss class that would make you feel
bad if you didn’t send me the notes. Thus, I would free ride off the attendance
of others, and still gain some of the knowledge I would’ve gained
from attending lecture. A classic example of a public good if you ask me.
So what’s the takeaway? Out of state kids – watch out. You have a text coming
your way. I know you guys buy your flights for Tuesday evening just in case you
have an exam. See you after Thanksgiving.
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