Public goods are often thought to be goods or services that are provided by the government, but that is confusing cause and effect.  What are the characteristics of a public good?

In economics, public goods mean commodities provided to all society
members without profit by the government or private organizations. In other words, public
members are not prevented from using these goods and do not require to pay for them. One of
the characteristics of public goods is that they are nonexcludable. This means that one user can’ t
prevent others from using it. For example, it would be impossible for an individual to prevent the
other from breathing clean air. Additionally, public goods are nonrivalrous, meaning that it does
not prevent others from using it when one person is using a good. Besides, public goods are
naturally replenishing, meaning that they cannot be exhausted. Examples of public goods include
water, air, law enforcement, and the rule of law.

Public Goods and Externalities

Open educational resources (OER) mean materials that are in the public domain, and people can
access them at no cost and distribute them with little or no restrictions. OER can be put in the
same category as a public good because they can be accessed at no cost whatsoever.
Additionally, they are public goods because no matter the number of downloads, they cannot be
exhausted. The third reason why OER are public goods is that it does not prevent others from
using them when one person is using them. Open educational resources are either provided by
the government or public organizations that are not in the mission of making profits.

Consider open educational resources (OER), for example, open textbooks. Make a case for why OER can be considered public goods. APA style