Neoclassical economics has an answer! The market can't provide public goods like basic research since it's non-excludable. This is a market failure, causing in

Neoclassical economics has an answer! The market can't provide public goods like basic research since it's non-excludable. This is a market failure, causing inefficient allocation of resources. Therefore, the government has to provide it. This can improve efficiency of resource distribution, if done well. Whether it's done well is not a foregone conclusion. That's why we need effective and technocratic state capacity, free from corruption and independent of political influence.