Moral public goods

Abstract

The article argues that despite nobles generally caring very little about poor people, if they have vastly superior incomes compared to peasants, it may be in the nobles’ best interest to have heavy taxation which redistributes their wealth as this can generate more value for the nobles than the cost of their individual contribution. It goes on to posit that therefore there is an economic argument that the redistribution of wealth, both domestically and internationally, can benefit everyone in society, including the wealthiest individuals. Furthermore, the article stresses that moral goods take on a public goods component at larger scales and that some amount of altruism and/or a desire for collective action, instead of pure self-interest, is what motivates people to participate in schemes such as charities and redistributive taxation. – AI-generated abstract.