Externalities are spill-over effects from production and consumption for which no appropriate compensation is paid
Externalities lie outside the initial market transaction / price
Externalities cause market failure if the price mechanism does not take account of the social costs and benefits of production and consumption
Externalities are spill-over effects from production and consumption for which no appropriate compensation is paid
Externalities lie outside the initial market transaction / price
Externalities cause market failure if the price mechanism does not take account of the social costs and benefits of production and consumption
Which goods and services are best left to the market? And which are more efficiently and fairly provided as collective consumption goods by the state? This is at the heart of your revision of public goods. Central to your revision will be to understand why public goods may not be provided by the market. You can work this out by distinguishing between public and private goods and focusing on the ideas of rivalry and excludability in consumption. Students should understand the free rider and valuation problems – there are big debates in economics about the optimum size of the state. Rapid changes in technology are also changing the nature of what is and what is not a public good.
Since pollution is an externality firms will not undertake to control their pollution. The answer is in government regulations. Coase argues that in perfect competition with laissez faire, govt regulation is not needed. Instead bargaining between the polluters and their victims can lead to an optimal situation. But this pre supposes equality in bargaining, and does not take note of ecological consequences of pollution.
Which goods and services are best left to the market? And which are more efficiently and fairly provided as collective consumption goods by the state? This is at the heart of your revision of public goods. Central to your revision will be to understand why public goods may not be provided by the market. You can work this out by distinguishing between public and private goods and focusing on the ideas of rivalry and excludability in consumption. Students should understand the free rider and valuation problems – there are big debates in economics about the optimum size of the state. Rapid changes in technology are also changing the nature of what is and what is not a public good.
Since pollution is an externality firms will not undertake to control their pollution. The answer is in government regulations. Coase argues that in perfect competition with laissez faire, govt regulation is not needed. Instead bargaining between the polluters and their victims can lead to an optimal situation. But this pre supposes equality in bargaining, and does not take note of ecological consequences of pollution.
Consumer Surplus
Willingness to pay is the maximum amount that a buyer will pay for a good.
It measures how much the buyer values the good or service
Consumer surplus is the buyer’s willingness to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it.