Abstract

A Theory of Merit Goods

An important part of public allocation-policy cannot be explained and normatively founded without any theory of merit goods. Recent discussion on the subject is disappointing because of the lack of concrete criteria for the satisfaction of merit wants and because it has failed to reveal sufficiently the broader socio-political context with the relationship between state, society, and individual. In the preceeding paper the author starts with a general introduction into the problem of provision for merit goods (ID). After a discussion of their specific characteristics (II) he analyses the motivation of their provision (III). The last part is dedicated to the scope of a positive theory of merit goods and its normative foundation. The considerations lead to the conclusion that a revised public goods-theory is at all desirable (IV)