Why are public goods not produced by private sector producers?

Public goods are not typically produced by private sector producers because they possess two key characteristics: non-excludability and non-rivalry. Non-excludability means that once a public good is provided, it is difficult to prevent individuals from using it, leading to challenges in charging consumers directly. Non-rivalry indicates that one person's use of the good does not reduce its availability to others, making it less profitable for private companies to produce them, as they cannot easily capture revenue from all beneficiaries. Consequently, public goods are often funded and provided by the government to ensure their availability for society as a whole.