What does the term non excludable mean in the context of public goods?

The term non-excludable in the context of public goods refers to the ability of individuals to benefit from the good regardless of whether they have paid for it. This characteristic means that once a public good is provided, it is not feasible to prevent people from using it. For example, consider a lighthouse that provides navigation assistance; everyone at sea can benefit from its light, whether they contributed to its maintenance or not.

Non-excludability often leads to the "free rider" problem, where individuals may choose not to pay for the good because they can still enjoy its benefits. This underscores the importance of government or collective action to provide and maintain public goods, as the private market may underprovide them due to the inability to charge users directly.

Other choices do not accurately reflect the concept of non-excludability. For instance, saying individuals must pay to access benefits represents an excludable good, while limiting consumption to a certain number of people or selling the good at varying prices also describes characteristics of different market scenarios, not public goods.