Nędza koncepcji globalnych dóbr publicznych

Abstract

The Poverty of the Concept of Global Public Goods The concept of global public goods (GPG) reflects an attempt to replicate a microeconomic theory of public goods to the domain of international relations (IR). According to economic definition of public goods, which have two properties – non-rivalry and non-exclusivity, pure GPG can be consumed universally and simultaneously by (ideally) all global citizens; at the same time, no society can be excluded from its consumption. Classic examples of GPG include earth atmosphere, knowledge or financial stability. Notwithstanding the fact that pure public goods are incredibly rare, the very definition of GPG is highly problematic. This article is intended as an intervention in a critical debate about the true meaning of the GPGs. Its authors argue that to date the academic community has failed to agree on an intersubjective understanding of GPG. They also claim that the current functioning of the concept in the discourse within IR is “poor”, i.e. it is insufficiently rigorous, blurred and methodologically inconsistent. On the flip side, the way GPG has found its way to IR reflects some of the main problems that the field has been recently immersed in.

Keywords

• public goods
• global public goods
• international relations