ECON 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Deadweight Loss, Cost, Social Cost

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cerisegiraffe538

13 Jul 2015

School

Texas A&M University

Department

Economics

Course

ECON 202

Professor

Ajalavat Viriyavipart

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Document Summary

Econ 202: principles of microeconomics - lecture 8: externalities, environmental policy, and public goods pt. In the past lectures, it has been shown that the most efficient market outcome will come at the market equilibrium of a competitive market. However, this might not be true if there are externalities in that particular market. Externality: a benefit or a cost that affects someone who is not directly involved in the production or consumption of a good or service. Positive: college education the benefits of your college education can reach other people who did not receive your college education. Negative: pollution the costs of pollution can affect those not involved in the buying or selling from the firm that produced that pollution. Externalities can hinder a market from achieving efficiency. Externalities cause a difference between the private costs of production and the social costs. Externalities cause a difference between the private benefits of consumption and the social benefits.

Related Questions

Externalities are costs or benefits that are caused by producing or consuming a good but that are not included in the market price for the good. They are simply the unintended side effects of market activities. Externalities can be positive or negative. One example of a positive externality might be when beekeepers provide a means of pollination for fruit growers. Air, water, and noise pollution are examples of negative externalities.

Please answer the following questions to describe an instance in which you, an acquaintance, or family member has experienced an externality. Please use economic concepts, and use references in your main contribution.

How did it affect you (or your acquaintance or family member?) Please explain.

What were the effects? Please explain.

Did you (or your acquaintance or family member) experience increased or decreased health or quality of life? Please explain.

If you choose to write about a negative externality such as pollution, what do you think is the best way to reduce pollution? Please explain.

If you choose to write about a positive externality, what is the economic problem that positive externalities create? How would you resolve that? Please explain.

Question 1

An externality

		enhances market efficiency.
		is a private cost or benefit that results from the production or consumption of a good or service that is external to a market.
		is a benefit or cost that affects someone who is not directly involved in the production or consumption of a good or service.
		refers to production or consumption that occurs outdoors.

5 points

Question 2

Externalities can be produced by:

		the high price of goods and services
		individuals; firms
		market prices; market incomes
		oceans; streams

5 points

Question 3

When an external cost exists that is NOT taken into account in the production of a product,

		the level of output is too high, and the supply curve should shift to the left to account for the externality.
		the price of the product is too high, and production should be expanded to lower the price.
		the level of output is optimal, and there should be no change in the supply curve.
		the level of output is too low, and the supply curve should shift to the right to account for the externality.

5 points

Question 4

Which of the following is correct?

		MSC = MPC - MD
		MPC = MSC + MD
		MSC = MPC + MD
		MD = MSC + MPC

5 points

Question 5

If external costs (costs of cleaning up) are included and added to a firm's private costs, then

		the demand curve will shift to the left.
		the supply curve will shift to the right.
		the demand curve will shift to the right
		the supply curve will shift to the left.

5 points

Question 6

The Coase Theorem states that

		government intervention is always needed if externalities are present.
		assigning property rights is the only thing the government should do in a market economy.
		if transaction costs are low, private bargaining will result in an efficient solution to the problem of externalities.
		a free-market equilibrium is the best solution to address externalities.

5 points

Question 7

Buffalo in the United States almost became extinct while cattle, an animal that provides similar products, never have been close to extinction. The difference is due to

		the use of private property rights on cattle and common property rights on buffalo.
		the greater marginal value of a head of cattle relative to buffalo, leading to over-hunting of buffalo.
		cattle existing in Europe also while buffalo were specific to North America.
		the greater marginal value of a buffalo relative to a steer, leading to the overharvesting of buffalo.

5 points

Question 8

In theory, the Emissions Fee would

		cause firms to generate less pollution than their allowed limits.
		raise the production costs of all firms.
		cause firms to generate more pollution than their allowed limits.
		lower the production costs of all firms.