Chapter 20 Section 1
Providing Public Goods What Are Private Goods? Private Goods- Goods that, when consumed by one individual, cannot be consumed by another (clothes and food). What Are Public Goods? Public Goods- Goods that can be consumed by one person without preventing the consumption of the good by another (public parks, museums, and highways) - for everyone, provided by the Gov’t
Dealing with Externalities Externality- The unintended side effect of an action that affects someone not involved in the action (end-of-year bonus) - More money, more sales Positive Externalities-Good roads, space programs. (Benefit more people) Negative Externalities- Dumping chemicals into a river. -Action has harmful side effects
Maintaining Competition Markets work best when there are large numbers of buyers and sellers Monopoly- A sole provider of a good or service (no competition) Antitrust Laws Antitrust laws- Laws to control monopoly power and to preserve and promote competition Sherman Antitrust Act- (1890)This law banned monopolies and other forms of business that prevent competition (break up Standard Oil Company)
Antitrust Laws Continued Clayton Act- (1914) prohibited or limited a number of business practices that lessened competition. Mergers Mergers- A combination of two or more companies to form a single business (can threaten competition) Regulating Market Activities Natural Monopolies- A market situation in which the costs of production are minimized, or lessened, by having a single firm produce the product (natural gas and water)
Advertising and Product Labels Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- Deals with the purity, effectiveness, and labeling of food. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)- Deals with false advertising Product Safety Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall- a company pulls a product off the market (safety)
Cause: Antitrust Laws Effect: