How do external costs prevent a competitive market from allocating resources efficiently?
What will be an ideal response?
External costs create a marginal social cost (MSC) that exceeds the marginal private cost (MC) for producing or consuming a good or service. That is, with an external cost, MSC > MC. When the firm produces a good or service with an external cost, it chooses to produce the quantity at which marginal cost equals marginal benefit, MC = MB. Marginal benefit equals marginal social benefit, MSB. In this case, the firm produces the quantity at which MC = MSB. This level of production exceeds the level at which MSC = MSB. Too much of the good or service is produced, resulting in an inefficient allocation of resources.
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If the government increases expenditure by $40 billion and increases tax revenue by $40 billion, what is the impact on aggregate demand? Explain your answer
What will be an ideal response?
A low price-earnings ratio indicates that either the stock is
a. undervalued or people are relatively optimistic about the corporation's prospects. b. overvalued or people are relatively optimistic about the corporation's prospects. c. overvalued or people are relatively pessimistic about the corporation's prospects. d. undervalued or people are relatively pessimistic about the corporation's prospects.
A reduction in a country's government budget deficit
a. shifts both the supply of loanable funds in the market for loanable funds and the supply of dollars in the market for foreign-currency exchange right. b. shifts both the supply of loanable funds in the market for loanable funds and the supply of dollars in the market for foreign-currency exchange left. c. shifts both the demand for loanable funds in the market for loanable funds and the demand for dollars in the market for foreign-currency exchange right. d. shifts both the demand for loanable funds in the market for loanable funds and the demand for dollars in the market for foreign-currency exchange left.
Which of the following would tend to narrow the gap between the private return to innovation and the social return to innovation?
A. An increase in scientific productivity B. A patent system C. More spending on R&D D. Competitive markets