Bad (economics)

Bad (sometimes "Bads") is an economic concept that refers to harmful economic products that cause more harm than good and thus result in negative utility.[1] They are therefore the opposite of goods. Many economic bads are negative externalities like pollution or traffic congestion. However, some bads may be products that people buy that have harmful effects on their own health like illegal drugs, unhealthy food, or legal drugs like tobacco or alcohol. Many economic bads sold illegally in black markets are not measured in conventional national income accounts like gross domestic product.

See Also
  • Free market: Where you can buy them.
  • Medical woo: A common source of disutility.
gollark: Satirical licenses?
gollark: "Using such information might lead to heated discussions, thereby increasing global warming."
gollark: RFC 8369 unironically has some good ideas.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: No, it's valid, but not allocated as a codepoint.

References
  1. Caplan, Bryan. Goods, Bads, Marginal Utility, and Happiness Research Fee.com
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