Revision Flashcards
consumer surplus
The difference from what consumers are willing to pay and the actual price they pay
Producer surplus
The difference between the price producers produce at and the price they sell at
What is the gradient of an inelastic demand curve
steep
What is the gradient of an elastic demand curve
shallow/flatter
What is state provision
When the government intervenes in the market to supply a good or service
Why does the government use tax revenues to supply state provisioned goods
To make sure they are free or largely free at the point of use
What are the benefits of state provision
Increased consumption of merit and public goods
Reduce inequalities
Redistribute incomes
What are the disadvantages of state provision
Productive inefficiency as there is no incentive to cut costs
Potentially wrong mix of goods being produced
Opportunity costs
Dynamic efficiency
When firms improve technology and production methods over time
Static efficiency
When all resources are being used at the most efficient manner at a single point in time
Regulation
When the government aims to provide effective competition within markets
What should regulation achieve
Greater choice
lower prices
protect interest of consumers
examples of regulation
Legal aim for smoking - 18
Prohibiting certain classes of drugs
Cant drink and drink over certain limit
Banning diesel cars in city centres
Benefits of regulation
Cheap to enforce
easy to understand
Drawbacks of regulation
Difficult to find right level of regulation
Regulatory capture
When regulators start acting in the interests of the company due to impartial information
Deregulation
The removal of regulations
Why might deregulation occur
To increase competition by removing barriers to entry in a market
What are the drawbacks of deregulation
Difficult to deregulate natural monopolies e.g. utilities
Cant fix some market failures such as neg externalities
What are public goods
Ones that their consumption does not stop others from using them and does not reduce the amount available to others
What are the characteristics of public goods
non rival and non excludeable
What is non rival
ones where their consumption does not reduce the amount available to others
what is non excludeable
ones where there consumption does not stop others from using it
What are private goods
ones where there consumption stops others from consuming it and reduces the amount available to others
What is a subsidy
Government support often financial given to producers and occasionaly consumers
What are the reasons for a subsidy
Provide support to poorer families
Reduce training and employment costs
Keep people in jobs
Make health care treatments affordable
What is a direct tax
Tax that affects households
e.g. Income tax
What is an indirect tax
A tax that only affects households if they buy a good or service e.g. VAT
What is a specific tax
Where £ or pence are added on e.g. fuel tax
Ad valorem tax
% tax added on
Progressive tax
The more you earn the more you pay e.g. income tax