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> I am working on my dissertation on public goods and come across some  
> interesting problems. In the "classic" paper The Pure Theory of Public  
> Expenditure, Samuelson uses the "collective consumption goods". Also,  
> Olson uses "collective goods"in his book.  so I am wondering who's the  
> first one to use "public goods" refering to the "public goods"? 
 
I am confused about your question.  The title of the Mancur Olson book  
that you seem to be referring to includes the words "public goods".   
The book that I am referring to is  _the Logic of Collective Action:  
Public Goods and the Theory of Groups_, Harvard University Press, 1965.   
 
Having wondered about this question myself, I did some quick research. 
A number of authors in the 1950s (and earlier) use the term.  (Try a  
JSTOR search.)  The origin of it, I think, depends on how one wants to  
define the term "public good" since the term that you are looking for  
now likely did not mean quite the same thing 60+ years ago. 
 
For example, Hildebrand (AER 41(2), 1951, 19-33) notes that a specific  
category of public services is "sometimes ... referred to as involving  
'public goods'." 
 
Terborgh (AER P&P 32(1), 1942, 360-368) uses the term "public goods" to  
refer to public works.  He discusses "consumers durable goods",  
"producers durable goods", and "public durable goods".  This makes sense  
given the title of the article: "Postwar Surpluses and Shortages of Plants  
and Equipment". 
 
Of course, a JSTOR search is hardly definitive.  Good luck nailing down  
this exercise precisely. 
 
Derek Brown 
 
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