Microeconomics chapter 10 – Flashcards
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Market failure can be caused by
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externalities
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The difference between social cost and private cost is a measure of the
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cost of an externality
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Internalizing a positive externality will cause the demand curve to
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shift to the right
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The term market failure refers to
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a market that fails to allocate resources efficiently.
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Positive externalities
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result in smaller than efficient equilibrium quantity.
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An externality arises when a person engages in an activity that influences the well-being of
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bystanders in the market for that activity and yet neither pays nor receives any compensation for that effect.
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An externality is an example of
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a market failure.
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Which of the following represents a way that a government can help the private market to internalize an externality?
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taxing goods that have negative externalities & subsidizing goods that have positive externalities
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A negative externality arises when a person engages in an activity that has
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an adverse effect on a bystander who is not compensated by the person who causes the effect
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Private markets fail to reach a socially optimal equilibrium when positive externalities are present because the
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social value exceeds the private value at the private market solution.
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When the government intervenes in markets with externalities, it does so in order to
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protect the interests of bystanders
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If education produces positive externalities, we would expect
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the government to subsidize education.
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If a sawmill creates too much noise for local residents,
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the government can raise economic well-being through noise-control regulations.
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Which of the following is an example of a positive externality?
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The mayor of a small town plants flowers in the city park.
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When externalities exist, buyers and sellers
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neglect the external effects of their actions, and the market equilibrium is not efficient.
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If the government were to limit the release of air-pollution produced by a steel mill to 75 parts per million, the policy would be considered a
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regulation
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A corrective tax is also known as:
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a Pigovian tax.
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Corrective taxes
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give factory owners an economic incentive to reduce pollution.
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If the government were to impose a fine of $1,000 for each unit of air-pollution released by a steel mill, the policy would be considered
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a corrective tax.
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A command-and-control policy is another term for a
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government regulation.
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Corrective taxes are unlike most other taxes because they
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move the allocation of resources closer to the social optimum.
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The best remedy for market failure is often
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a market-based solution.
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With a corrective tax, the supply curve for pollution is
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perfectly elastic.
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Which of the following suggests that private markets can be effective in dealing with externalities?
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the Coase theorem
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The proposition that if private parties can bargain without cost over the allocation of resources, they can solve the problem of externalities on their own, is called
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the Coase theorem.
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Since externalities tend to keep markets from reaching a socially optimal equilibrium, government action
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is needed when private solutions fail to arise.
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The Golden Rule is an example of a private solution for
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internalizing externalities.
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If only a few people are affected by an externality, then it is likely that
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a private solution to the inefficiency will occur.
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Private contracts between parties with mutual interests
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can solve some inefficiencies associated with positive externalities.
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Two types of private solutions to the problem of externalities are
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charities and the Golden Rule
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Which of the following statements about a well-maintained yard best conveys the general nature of the externality?
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a well-maintained yard conveys a positive externality because it increases the value of the adjacent properties in the neighborhood
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Dioxin emission that results from the production of paper is a good example of a negative externality because
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self-interested paper producers will not consider the full cost of the dioxin pollution they create
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Which of the following policies is the government most inclined to use when faced with a positive externality?
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subsidies
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A positive externality arises when a person engages in an activity that has
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a beneficial effect on a bystander who does not pay the person who causes the effect
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All externalities
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cause markets to fail to allocate resources efficiently
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The supply curve for a product reflects the
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cost to sellers of producing the product
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If an externality is present in the market, economic efficiency may be enhanced by
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government intervention
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When externalities are present in the market, the well-being of market participants
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is DIRECTLY affected, and market bystanders are INDIRECTLY affected
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When a market is characterized by an externality, the government
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can correct the market failure in the case of both positive and negative externalities by inducing market participants to internalize the externality
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Research into new technologies provides a
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positive externality, and too few resources are devoted to research as a result
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If a market is characterized by a positive externality that is not the result of a technology spillover,
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the socially optimal level of output is greater than the equilibrium level of output, and the socially optimal price is greater than the equilibrium price
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Which of the following is NOT an advantage of corrective taxes?
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they subsidize the production of goods with positive externalities
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Corrective taxes are typically advocated to correct for the effects of
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negative externalities
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Emission controls on automobiles are an example of a
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command-and-control policy to increase social efficiency
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When the government uses a command and control policy to solve an externality, it
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creates policies that directly regulate behavior