Intrinsically Scarce Goods

Abstract

We are concerned with a class of goods that are both scarce and valued for experiences that depend on their authenticity and unmediated access to them. Such goods include prehistoric cave paintings, spectacular natural sites, and several of the arts. Because these goods are scarce, access to them must be restricted if they are to survive. After characterizing the goods we have in mind, we will propose a scheme for distributing access to them. Finally, we will suggest that the lessons learned from considering these goods and their distribution can be applied to other kinds of goods. The Paleolithic paintings and drawings found on cave walls at sites in France and Spain, such as Lascaux, Altamira and Vallon-Pont-D’Arc, have profound effects they have on those who see them. In addition to their historical interest, they are prized for their aesthetic and spiritual qualities, which have had an important influence on modern art. But the caves are small and the paintings are fragile. Access to them has been sharply limited: some caves have been closed to protect the paintings from the damage caused by human respiration; access to others is limited to those who negotiate a daunting reservation scheme. Despite being the heritage of humanity as a whole, the cave paintings are, and must be, restricted to a very few. Not everyone who wants to see the paintings can do so if they are to survive. How many other goods are like this? There are many unique sites around the world that, while perhaps not quite so fragile, seem to be scarce in a similar way: unfettered access to them would destroy their value. Some are natural: the Grand Canyon, for instance. Others are artificial: historically significant buildings, such as Notre Dame, cities, such as Florence, or art objects, such as 1 Philosophy, University of Chicago/Philosophy and Classics, University of Toronto and Philosophy, University of Chicago.