Information Access: Public Goods or Private Goods?

Abstract

With emerging product technology such as CD-I, DV-I, and so forth, and the possibility of charging user fees for online access, the privatization of government information dissemination offers the prospect of revenue that some argue would be sufficient to permit expanded access to currently unavailable information and possibly even surplus revenue. Drawing on the literature of public goods and microeconomic theory, this essay argues that privatization of access to public information is inefficient with respect to social welfare, is discriminatory, and is not in the public interest. Conversely, dissemination of government information as a public good would increase economic benefits by leveraging positive externalities and would provide more equal access consistent with the demands of a pluralistic and democratic society. Keywords: information access, privatization, private goods, public goods.