The Moustache as a Public Good

Discussing the nature of different types of goods today in class, we discussed public and private goods, toll/club goods and common pool resources.

At one point in the noon class (section 1), the example of my moustache was given as an example of a toll good. I got thinking about this after class.

I could, presumably, only provide certain individuals the visual enjoyment of my moustache by wearing a ski mask most of the time and only letting certain people see it (maybe this is what Subcomandante Marcos has going on--a moustachioed individual unwilling to show off his stubbly resources to the non-Zapatista), but normally, my moustache is not an excludable good. You all get to enjoy the externality of my brilliantly executed moustachery. Instead, I would call my moustache a public good. You all benefit from my moustache being awesome. The good is non-excludable and non-subtractable.

However, though there is some cost to my moustache (takes me a little while to shave around it in the morning, and I have to clean up after trimming it lest my wife get mad at me), the internalized benefits are still greater than the costs (really helps me get interviews started doing the fieldwork, for one thing).

The endshot is, I would like to encourage all of you who have the proper genetic makeup (generally, a Y chromosome) to get in touch with your inner Karl Marx/Francisco Villa/Prince Albert/John Henry Holliday/Miguel Grau and grow some mutton chops, handlebars, or other soup-straining hirsute headgear.