Midterm 2 Content Flashcards
We want to be on a point on ppf where MC and MB curves _______?
Cross
An____________occurs when we produce the quantity of an item where its marginal cost equals its marginal benefit
Efficient Allocation
What does being on the ppf mean?
Production Efficiency On frontier–production efficiency—>fully utilizing all resources
If MB>MC then _______
increase production
If MC>MB then ______________production
decrease
A demand curve is what kind of curve?
Marginal benefit curve
Marginal cost curve is the _______curve
Supply curve *way to remember MICK’S
Being at the intersection of MC and MB is equivalent to being at what?
The intersection of the demand and supply curve
What is consumer surplus?
The difference between what a consumer actually pays for an item and what he/she is willing to pay.
Where is consumer surplus located?
area under a demand curve and above price line
Where is total revenue located in terms of consumer surplus?
it’s the price times the quantity
What is producer surplus?
the difference between the price a producer actually gets for a commodity and the minimum price the producer would have been willing to supply the quantity for which just follows the supply curve
Minimum price a producer must receive to produce?
marginal cost of production
the supply curve is equal to?
the marginal cost curve
Where is producer surplus measured?
area above the supply curve and under the price line
Where do the most efficient allocation resources come at?
Equilibrium price where supply and demand curves cross in competitive markets
Why is where the supply and demand curves cross the most allocatively efficient point?
Largest total area of consumer surplus along with the producer surplus
What is deadweight loss?
-the loss of consumer or producer surplus -**loss which is no one’s gain–loss in total surplus area**
Underproduction occurs when?
-loss of the area of consumer surplus and producer surplus when production is at Q instead of Qe (Q is a smaller quantity)
What are 3 factors that cause deadweight loss?
- price ceilings and price floors 2. taxes, subsidies, quotas 3. monopoly power
What does a price ceiling do?
Puts an upper limit or maximum value on price Designed to hold price down
When is a price ceiling effective?
-Pc less than pe leads to excess demand or shortage Qd-Qs
What are 3 non price rationing mechanisms?
- Queue rationing 2. Rationing by Sellers Preferences 3. Coupon Rationing
What are non price rationing mechanisms?
-when prices are held artificially below their Equillibrium values, loose their rationing function (ie determining who gets what)
What happens when non price rationing mechanisms are implemented?
Black markets usually emerge.
What is a black market in terms of economics?
-when commodities are sold illegally at prices above the official controlled price
What do price floors do?
-Put a lower limit on prices or minimum value on price -designed to hold prices up
When are price floors effective?
-when price floor > pe -leads to excess supply or surplus Qs-Qd
A minimum wage is an example of?
a price floor
Rent controls are example of?
a price ceiling
If a market produces less than or more than equilibrium quantity________?
some consumer and producer surplus will be lost
when supply > demand then-
excess labor hours unemployment
an effective price or rent control causes a __________?
deadweight loss
When rent controls are placed…_______________shortages are worse?
long run
Incidence of Tax on sellers: Who pays the tax?
refers to how the burden of a tax is divided between the seller and the consumer or who actually pays what portion of the tax decrease in sales due to sales tax
What does incidence depend on?
elasticity of the supply and demand curve
The more inelastic the demand_____________
the more the buyer pays tax wise
If demand is perfectly inelastic_____________
the buyer pays the entire tax
The more elastic the demand is______________
the more the seller pays
If demand is perfectly elastic?
the seller pays the entire tax
A perfectly elastic lines is?
horizontal
A perfectly inelastic line is?
vertical
The more inelastic supply is_____________
the more the seller pays
If supply is perfectly inelastic, _______
the seller pays the entire tax
The more elastic supply is?
The more the buyer pays
If the supply is perfectly elastic?
the buyer pays all of the tax
water is a ______supply
perfectly inelastic supply
-Agricultural Markets have ___________demand
inelastic demand-
Supply curves shift frequently in agricultural markets because of changes in weather.
- the major impact is felt on prices
- prices fluctuate widely in agricultural markets
1.Price Support Program: Involves
Inventory Holding
Government picks an expected “normal” equilibrium level of price and output and tries to stabilize prices at a corresponding level.
Price Support Program Actions
If Output = Q2 , then the government
•
–BUYS Q2 – QE
If Output = Q1, then the government
SELLS QE – Q1
- Subsidy Programs
(A) Subsidizing Units Produced
•Subsidy of $20 per ton
–The equilibrium quantity
increases.
–The equilibrium price
falls.
–The farmer receives
more on each
ton sold—
$50 a ton .
Use of “Target Prices” – Subsidizing Prices
- Lets free market work, but guarantees that farmers will receive a certain “Target Price”
- Government makes up any differences with a subsidy payment.
- Production Limits & Quotas
- Intended to prevent surpluses of crops from occurring
(A) Acreage Controls: Farmers are restricted in how many acres they can cultivate
- Shifts supply curve to left
- Price rises, but there is a deadweight loss
(B) Production Quotas
•Production Quotas
–A production quota limits
total production to 40
million tons a year.
–The equilibrium quantity
decreases to this amount.
–The price rises to $50
a ton and marginal
cost falls to $20 a ton.
-Get Deadweight Loss
- Subsidies:
- •Production Limits & Quotas:
higher output, lower prices to consumers
lower output, higher prices to consumers
–And Deadweight Losses
Utility
Satisfaction or Pleasure; Want-Satisfying Power
Marginal Utility (MU):
The last extra bit of utility a consumer gets from consuming the last extra unit of the item.
* Value is determined by?
marginal utility from last unit consumed