Government support therefore concentrates largely on applied scientific research, that is research designed to solve practical problems and produce economic goods.

And if Socialism ever comes, it is only likely to prove beneficent if non- economic goods are valued and consciously pursued.

Under Sarkozy, justice, culture or education have become economic goods which should be subjected to the rationality and assessment of market rules.

But an earmark of economic goods is scarcity, that is, there are at a given time and place fewer of them than are desired.