“Surely, the cocky undergraduate voice from the audience protested, if the total meal bill is going to be shared, then each diner will order to optional extra prawn cocktail.” This overly theoretical consideration was not the sort of thing that he would allow to stand in the way of his advocacy.
In fact, of course, it is a free-rider problem of this type that has almost felled monetary cooperation in Europe, and which presents, and is understood to present, the most serious challenge to a quick and successful resolution of the financial crisis of the euro area.