1. Ch. 5: EFFICIENCY AND EQUITY
Allocative Efficiency
Consumer surplus
Producer surplus
Market failures.
Corrections for market failure.

2. Efficiency and the Social Interest
Allocative efficiency
occurs when it is not possible to produce more of a good or service without giving up some other good or service that is valued more highly.
depends on people’s preferences.

3. Allocative Efficiency
Marginal Benefit
the benefit a person receives from consuming one more unit of a good or service.
the dollar value of other goods and services that a person is willing to give up to get one more unit of it.
decreasing marginal benefit implies that as more of a good or service is consumed, its marginal benefit decreases.

4. Allocative Efficiency
For any given price, a consumer will buy all units of the good where MB>P
The MB curve will be identical to the consumer’s demand curve.
Market demand curve is summation of individual MB curves P MB Q

5. Allocative Efficiency
Marginal Cost
the opportunity cost of producing one more unit of a good or service.
the dollar value of other goods and services required to produce one more unit of the good.
increasing marginal cost implies that as more of a good or service is produced, its marginal cost increases.

6. Allocative Efficiency
The MC curve is upward sloping.
A firm will produce all units of a product where P>MC
The MC curve is the firm’s supply curve (more details later). MC P Q

7. Allocative Efficiency
Efficiency and Inefficiency
If MB>MC, should produce and consume more of the good.
If MB<MC, should produce and consume less of the good.
If MB=MC, allocative efficiency obtained. MC MB Q*
Quantity

8. Value, Price, and Consumer Surplus
Difference between maximum amount consumers are willing to pay and the price of a good.
Measured by the area under the demand curve (marginal benefit curve) and above the price paid, up to the quantity bought.

9. Value, Price, and Consumer Surplus

10. Cost, Price, and Producer Surplus
the price of a good minus the marginal cost of producing it, summed over the quantity sold.
measured by the area below the price and above the supply curve, up to the quantity sold.

11. Cost, Price, and Producer Surplus

12. Suppose that John is willing to sell his Bengals football ticket for anything above $10 and Mary is willing to pay up to $50 for a ticket. If John sells Mary the ticket for $25, the consumers surplus is ____ and the producers surplus is _____.
$0; $25
$15; $25
$25; $15
$25; 0 0% 30

13. Is the Competitive Market Efficient?
At the equilibrium quantity,
MB=MC, so the quantity is the allocatively efficient quantity.
The sum of consumer and producer surplus is maximized at this efficient level of output.

14. Deadweight loss from overproduction.

15. Deadweight loss from underproduction.

16. What are the additional costs to producers of increasing pizza production from 5,000 to 10,000 per day? (keep in mind that quantity is measured in 1000s in the diagram below). 0% 30

17. What are the additional benefits to consumers of increasing pizza production from 5,000 to 10,000 per day? 0% 30

18. If pizza production is at 5,000 the benefits to society of one additional pizza would be ______ than the cost of one additional pizza.
$5 greater than
$10 greater than
$5 less than
$10 less than 0% 30

19. If the economy is producing more than the allocatively efficient amount of a good, the MB of additional production will exceed the MC of additional production.
True
False 0% 30

20. If the MC of additional production of a good is greater than the MB of additional production, production must be greater than the allocatively efficient level.
True
False 0% 30

21. Obstacles to Efficiency
Externalities
Price ceilings and floors
Taxes, subsidies, and quotas.
Monopoly
Public goods and common resources

22. Externalities When there are negative externalities:
Social MC = Private MC + per unit negative externality
When there are positive externalities:
Social MB = Private MB + per unit positive externality
Regardless of whether there are externalities, in a competitive market:
Supply = Private MC
Demand = Private MB

23. Is the Competitive Market Efficient?
When there are negative externalities,
SMC>PMC
The market produces “too much”
deadweight loss results
Taxes could “fix” market.

24. Is the Competitive Market Efficient?
When there are positive externalities,
SMB>PMB
The market produces “too little”
deadweight loss results
Subsidies could “fix” market.

25. If second hand smoke represents a “cost” on non-smokers and there is no government intervention in the cigarette market, the market outcome will result in:
More than the allocatively efficient amount of cigarette smoking.
Less than the allocatively efficient amount of cigarette smoking. 0% 30

26. If there is a positive externality associated with tree planting, the market outcome would result in (more, less) than the allocatively efficient amount of trees and government could fix this problem by (taxing, subsidizing) tree planting).
More; taxing.
More; subsidizing.
Less; taxing.
Less; subsidizing. 0% 30

27. Is the Competitive Market Fair?
Ideas about fairness can be divided into two groups:
It’s not fair if the result isn’t fair
It’s not fair if the rules aren’t fair

28. Is the Competitive Market Fair?
It’s not fair if the result isn’t fair
Utilitarianism:
Maximize happiness by distributing income equally
Since MB of income falls with income, can increase happiness by taking from rich and giving to poor
Ignores inefficiencies created by income redistribution (equity – efficiency trade-off)

29. Is the Competitive Market Fair?
It’s Not Fair If the Rules Aren’t Fair
Symmetry principle: the requirement that people in similar situations be treated similarly.
Equality of opportunity, not equality of income.
The state must create and enforce laws that establish and protect private property.
Private property may be transferred from one person to another only by voluntary exchange.