Economics Flashcards
Elastic Demand (2)
Price changes cause a large change in quantity demanded.
The flatter curve is more elastic
Inelastic Demand
Price changes cause little change in quantity demanded.
Consumer Surplus
Price above the equilirbium price what consumers would have been willing to pay
Price elasticity formula
Percentage change in quantity demanded / Percentage change in price
Unit elastic
Elasticity is exactly 1
Less elastic demand (5)
- Fewer substitutes
- Short run (less time)
- Categories of product
- Necessities
- Small budget share
More elastic demand (5)
- More substitutes
- Long run (more time)
- Specific brands
- Luxuries
- Large budget share
Midpoint method
Takes the average in case the price and quantity change multiple times
Less elastic supply (4)
- Difficult to increase production at constant unit cost
- Large share of market for inputs
- Global supply
- Short run
More elastic supply: (4)
- Easy to increase production at constant unit cost
- Small share of market for inputs
- Local supply
- Long run
Who carries the burden of the tax
The less elastic side of the market bears the larger burden
Effects of price ceilings (5)
- Shortages
- Reductions in quality
- Wasteful lines due to price ceiling
- Lost gains from trade due to price ceiling
- Misallocation/random of resources of price ceiling (not to the most profitable asset)
Price floors (4)
- Surpluses, minimum wage creates unemployment among unskilled workers
- Lost gains from trade (dead-weight loss), firms might reallocation or become less competitive.
- Wasteful increases in quality, increase quality instead of lowering prices in order to stay competitive
- Misallocation of resources
Arguments against international trade (4)
- Trade reduces domestic jobs
- Its wrong to trade with countries that use child labour
- Gate keep jobs for national security
- Keep some jobs domestic for “economic spillovers” for other jobs
Social cost:
private cost + external cost
Pigouvian taxes
tax to reduce the output of a harmful externality
Coase theorem (3)
-> The market can handle externalities, or at least create a market when:
- Transactions costs are low
- Property rights are clearly defined