Public goods are typically understood as those accessible to everyone, and whose consumption does not reduce availability to others. In economics, they are called non-rivalrous and non-excludable. Classic examples of public goods are fresh air, national security, and street lighting.
But even basic goods like security that are often taken for granted as “public goods” are not accessible to everyone across Africa. They are not really “public” at all.
Danielle Kushner shows how racial groups in South Africa depend on different kinds of security. Whites and Asians are more likely to hire private armed guards for protection, while Blacks and Coloureds join together with friends and local groups to guard their families and communities.