nonscarce

Nonscarce is a term used in discussions of resource economics to describe goods or resources that are abundant relative to human needs, such that scarcity constraints do not bind their provision or use under current technologies and conditions. In this sense, nonscarce resources are those for which demand does not create noticeable shortages at prevailing prices or marginal costs.

The concept is context-dependent. Scarcity arises from the relationship between supply, demand, and the costs of access or use. A resource that is nonscarce in one setting may become scarce in another due to environmental limits, congestion, pollution, or policy restrictions. Conversely, even a typically abundant resource can appear scarce if access is restricted or if externalities raise its social costs.

Examples commonly cited as nonscarce in ordinary contexts include the ambient air in clean environments and broad daylight or sunlight, which, in theory, are available without one person’s use preventing another’s. Some information and knowledge can also behave as nonscarce when it is widely accessible and nonrival, though this is not universal, especially where access is controlled by intellectual property or infrastructure.

Relation to other concepts is notable. Nonscarce overlaps with the idea of free goods and with nonrival or nonexcludable public goods in some cases, yet real-world limits such as pollution, geographic variation, or regulatory barriers can reintroduce scarcity. The term is often used descriptively rather than as a precise technical category.