What does the author mean by 'a shared resource in an unusual sense'?
Antibiotics are a shared resource in an unusual sense: each use by a patient can help that patient but contributes slightly to the spread of resistant bacteria that harm everyone. Individual doctors, under pressure from anxious parents, find it easier to prescribe than to refuse. Each prescription seems harmless; in aggregate they are not. This is a familiar pattern, and the usual remedy is to change incentives rather than to appeal to goodwill. Practices that audit and publish prescribing rates, patients who receive clear information about why a drug is not needed, and rapid tests that distinguish bacterial from viral infections can all reduce unnecessary use. Telling doctors to be more careful has been tried for decades and has not been enough.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: E. Each use gives a private benefit but imposes a small cost on everybody
- Step 1: The next sentence explains that each use helps one patient but contributes to resistance that harms everyone.
- Step 2: That is a private benefit with a shared cost.
Answer
Each use gives a private benefit but imposes a small cost on everybody.
Why not the others: The phrase concerns the effect of use on everyone, not free provision, ownership, exclusivity or hospital practice.
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