Final answer:
Street lights are more susceptible to the free-rider problem because they are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, making it impossible to prevent individuals from benefiting from them without contributing financially. Unlike symphonies where attendance can be restricted to ticket holders, street lights provide unavoidable benefits to all, epitomizing the free-rider challenge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Between government-funded symphonies and street lights, the latter is more susceptible to the free-rider problem. A government-funded symphony could potentially exclude those who don’t pay for a ticket, thus making it possible to limit free riders. On the other hand, street lights are inherently non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning one person's use of a street light does not diminish another person's ability to use it, and it is not feasible to exclude individuals from benefiting from them.
The free-rider problem occurs when individuals can benefit from goods or services without paying for them, leading to underinvestment in the public good. This is especially true for public goods because they tend to be non-excludable (no one can be prevented from accessing them) and non-rivalrous (one person's use doesn't reduce availability to others). The problem arises when individuals presume that others will bear the cost of provision, which can lead to insufficient funding and support for these goods.