The role of public goods in the realization of national interests

The paper presents the evolution of the category «public good», starting from approaches to its formation in the philosophical works of authors of the ancient period, the works of scientists of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the classical school of economics to the disclosure of content characteristics, types, demand and supply of public goods, determining the volume of their production and financing, etc. in the works of representatives of neoclassical and institutional trends. The role of the state in the formation of public goods is shown. On the basis of the analysis of national security strategies of the Russian Federation, the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain it is shown how, as the category of «national interest» is institutionalized, the main types of public and quasi-public goods, the production and financing of which is considered a priority, are fixed in the strategic planning documents of states. The comparative characteristic of national interests of the Russian Federation, the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain. Based on the importance of the development of states in the context of the realization of national interests, on the one hand, and the essential role of public and quasi-public goods in the realization of national interests, on the other hand, the definition of public goods is clarified by establishing their connection with the realization of national interests. The practice of providing public goods at the interstate and global levels is considered separately.