Steigende Staatsquote oder schwarze Null – ein theoretischer Erklärungsansatz durch öffentliche Güter. (German)

German government debt has reached an unprecedented level due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article examines the theory of public goods and their impact on the state's share in Germany. It argues that not all public goods need to be produced by the state, as private markets can provide incentives for production. Examples such as electric cars and higher education are mentioned to show that private markets can successfully produce these goods. The question is raised whether the state takes on tasks that the market could handle and whether the increasing state share is justified. Before the question of the optimal state share can be answered, it must be clarified which goods the state should actually produce. [Extracted from the article]

The German national deficit reached an unprecedented magnitude following the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, determining an appropriate or correct public sector share has become the subject of extensive discourse. A crucial theoretical explanatory approach for the increasing intervention of the state is the theory of public goods. This article elucidates why markets are unsuitable for the production of certain goods, commonly referred to as public goods. Furthermore, the article demonstrates, through the elucidation of impure public goods, that the state undertakes tasks that could be handled by the market itself. Therefore, it is essential to question why the state produces specific goods, particularly in light of Germany's saving goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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