Final answer:
The result of "collective good" and the associated free rider program is that individuals may benefit from public goods without contributing, leading to potential underprovision of the good. This can cause inefficiencies and unfairness, such as when a few students do all the work in a group project but everyone gets the same grade.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is the result of "collective good", such as public goods like a road, where benefits are shared among members of a community? The result can often be the free ride program problem, where individuals benefit from the collective good without contributing to its creation or maintenance. For example, if a few shop owners fund and construct a road, all local shop owners, regardless of their investment, benefit from the increased traffic and access. However, those who did not contribute yet benefit from the road are known as free riders. This situation creates a disincentive for individuals to contribute, knowing that they can benefit without paying any cost.
One direct negative impact of the free rider problem is the potential for underprovision of the collective good. When too few individuals or entities contribute to the provision of a public good, there may not be sufficient resources to create or maintain the good at high quality or even at all, which can affect everyone adversely, including those who originally contributed.
A well-known example of this is when university students participate in a group project, and only a handful do the significant work, while others contribute minimally or not at all, yet all receive the same grade. This can discourage the hard-working students and reduce overall productivity and fairness within the group.