All thinkers

Mancur Olson: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Mancur Olson, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Why big groups struggle to get anything done

  Mancur Olson's 1965 book showed that rational self-interest can sabotage a group's shared goals: individuals benefit from a group's wins whether or not they personally contributed,…

  — Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups

• Once a public good exists, everyone can benefit from it without paying a cent

  A lighthouse, clean air or national defense all share a quirk: once they exist, nobody can be stopped from benefiting, whether they helped pay for them or not. Economist Mancur Ols…

  — Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups

Five ideas worth knowing, every week

The week's best cards and a puzzle, credited as always. Free, unsubscribe any time.

Subscribe