ECON 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Environment And Climate Change Canada, Opportunity Cost, Coase Theorem

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10 Mar 2016

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When a transacion between a buyer and seller directly afects a third party, the efect is called an externality. Negaive externaliies, such as polluion, cause the socially opimal quanity in a market to be less than the equilibrium quanity. Posiive externaliies, such as technology spillovers, cause the socially opimal quanity to be greater than the equilibrium quanity. Governments pursue various policies to remedy the ineiciencies caused by externaliies. Someimes the government prevents socially ineicient acivity by regarding behavior. Other imes it internalizes an externality using correcive taxes. For instance, the government could protect the environment by issuing a limited number of polluion permits. The end result of this policy is largely the same as imposing correcive taxes on polluters. Those afected by externaliies can someimes solve the problem privately. For instance, when one business confers an externality on another business, the two businesses can internalize the externality by merging.

Related Questions

Question 1

An externality

		enhances market efficiency.
		is a private cost or benefit that results from the production or consumption of a good or service that is external to a market.
		is a benefit or cost that affects someone who is not directly involved in the production or consumption of a good or service.
		refers to production or consumption that occurs outdoors.

5 points

Question 2

Externalities can be produced by:

		the high price of goods and services
		individuals; firms
		market prices; market incomes
		oceans; streams

5 points

Question 3

When an external cost exists that is NOT taken into account in the production of a product,

		the level of output is too high, and the supply curve should shift to the left to account for the externality.
		the price of the product is too high, and production should be expanded to lower the price.
		the level of output is optimal, and there should be no change in the supply curve.
		the level of output is too low, and the supply curve should shift to the right to account for the externality.

5 points

Question 4

Which of the following is correct?

		MSC = MPC - MD
		MPC = MSC + MD
		MSC = MPC + MD
		MD = MSC + MPC

5 points

Question 5

If external costs (costs of cleaning up) are included and added to a firm's private costs, then

		the demand curve will shift to the left.
		the supply curve will shift to the right.
		the demand curve will shift to the right
		the supply curve will shift to the left.

5 points

Question 6

The Coase Theorem states that

		government intervention is always needed if externalities are present.
		assigning property rights is the only thing the government should do in a market economy.
		if transaction costs are low, private bargaining will result in an efficient solution to the problem of externalities.
		a free-market equilibrium is the best solution to address externalities.

5 points

Question 7

Buffalo in the United States almost became extinct while cattle, an animal that provides similar products, never have been close to extinction. The difference is due to

		the use of private property rights on cattle and common property rights on buffalo.
		the greater marginal value of a head of cattle relative to buffalo, leading to over-hunting of buffalo.
		cattle existing in Europe also while buffalo were specific to North America.
		the greater marginal value of a buffalo relative to a steer, leading to the overharvesting of buffalo.

5 points

Question 8

In theory, the Emissions Fee would

		cause firms to generate less pollution than their allowed limits.
		raise the production costs of all firms.
		cause firms to generate more pollution than their allowed limits.
		lower the production costs of all firms.

5 points

Question 9

A cap-and-trade policy

		has a set number of permits.
		allows polluters to trade permits.
		caps the total level of pollution allowed.
		all of the above.

Question 10

A Pigouvian tax corrects for

		market congestion.
		market losses.
		inefficient sales.
		low market prices.

harlequingoldfish8

Question 11 One potential remedy to the tragedy of the commons is to: never allow a single individual to consume more than one percent of the common resource. criminalize the usage of common resources. allow individuals to use a common resource as long as they receive some benefit from doing so. place a common resource under private ownership. 4 points Question 12 As a result of a positional externality: contestants have a tendency to invest in a series of mutually offsetting investments in performance enhancement. there is generally an underinvestment in performance enhancement. the market price of performance enhancement materials is too high. the quality of performance in competitive situations is lower than the socially optimal level. 4 points Question 13 Which of the following statements is true regarding health insurance? Economics shows that all health related procedures should be free to individuals because the health of an individual is priceless. Total economic surplus would be larger if individuals faced an incentive to only use services when the benefit exceeds their costs. Health maintenance organizations provide an incentive for doctors to prescribe expensive nonessential services. First dollar insurance coverage has likely had very little to do with rising healthcare expenditures since World War II. 4 points Question 14 A strategy that yields a higher payoff no matter what the other players in the game choose is known as a: prisoner's strategy. dominated strategy. dominant strategy. Nash strategy. 4 points Question 15 Based on the diagram below, if the costs of hospital care are constant at $200 per day, and the individual does not incur any cost for each day for hospital care, then: the individual will stay 7 days and there will be no loss in economic surplus. the individual will stay 3 days and there will be no loss in economic surplus. the individual will stay 7 days and there will be lost economic surplus. the individual will stay 3 days and there will be lost economic surplus. 4 points Question 16 Economic research by Manning and colleagues suggests that people with deductible health insurance policies: spend substantially less on health care and have substantially worse health outcomes compared to people with first-dollar insurance coverage. spend substantially more on health care and have substantially better health outcomes compared to people with first-dollar insurance coverage. spend basically the same amount on health care and have substantially worse health outcomes compared to people with first-dollar insurance coverage. spend substantially less on health care and have no measurable difference in health outcomes compared to people with first-dollar insurance coverage. 4 points Question 17 An efficient program for reducing pollution is one for which: all polluters incur the same total costs of abatement. all polluters pay the same amount in taxes to the government. all polluters have the same marginal costs of abatement. all polluters reduce their emissions by the same amount. 4 points Question 18 Given the information on pollution abatement costs of the two firms shown below, which of the following is an efficient combination of pollution reduction? Quantity of pollution abatement Firm A's MC of abatement Firm B's MC of abatement 1 $30 $25 2 $35 $30 3 $40 $35 4 $45 $40 Firm A reduces by 1 ton and Firm B reduces by 1 ton. Firm A reduces by 2 tons and Firm B reduces by 3 tons. Firm A reduces by 4 tons and Firm B reduces by 1 ton. Firm A reduces by 3 tons and Firm B reduces by 2 tons. 4 points Question 19 All of the following are characteristics of perfectly competitive markets except: there are a large number of firms. productive resources are mobile. all firms produce a differentiated product. buyers and sellers are well informed. 4 points Question 20 An advantage of the auction method to pollution abatement is that: it is very expensive to firms. regulators can achieve a desired abatement target without having detailed knowledge of the abatement technologies available to polluters. it requires all firms to reduce by exactly the same amount. it assures that eventually society will reach a level of zero pollution emissions. 4 points Question 21 There are 2 firms each emitting 200 tons of a pollutant. Firm A's abatement costs are constant at $20/ton, and Firm B's abatement costs are constant at $40/ton. The government's goal is to reduce pollution by half. If the government auctions 200 one ton permits to the highest bidder: Firm A will purchase all 200 permits. Firm B will purchase all 200 permits. each firm will buy 100 tons. there is no way to know who the highest bidder for any permit would equal. 4 points Question 22 As a result of economies of scale, as output expands: fixed costs are decreasing. average total costs are decreasing. marginal costs are increasing. total costs are decreasing. 4 points Question 23 Generally, when countries open their borders to free trade: both domestic producers and consumers of imported goods gain. both domestic producers and consumers of exported goods gain. domestic producers of imported goods and domestic consumers of exported goods gain. domestic producers of exported goods and domestic consumers of imported goods gain. 4 points Question 24 Which of the following is the best example of a tariff? South Korea bans imports of U.S. beef because of safety concerns. The U.S. requires toys imported from China to undergo testing for lead content. The U.S. imposes a tax on sugar imported from Brazil. The U.S. restricts the quantity of cars imported from Japan. 4 points Question 25 A means-tested program is a benefit program: in which benefits decline as a recipient's earned income increases. in which all individuals must undergo health screening to be eligible for benefits. in which all recipients exclusively receive benefits through in-kind transfers. that only affects the average income of a specific segment of the population. 4 points Save and Submit Click Save and Submit to save and submit. Click Save All Answers to save all answers.

Question 1

Which compensation method helps to explain the large difference between the salaries of top-level managers and mid-level managers in a firm?

	A.	Tournaments
	B.	New blood
	C.	Piece rate
	D.	Backloaded compensation

3 points

Question 2

Please consider the information provided under Question 19 in Chapter 3 (page 54). Based on the stated information, the optimal number of bees kept if the externality is ignored by Yung is 5,000. Is the socially optimal number of bees higher or lower than 5,000?

	A.	We do not have enough information to answer this question
	B.	Same
	C.	Lower
	D.	Higher

3 points

Question 3

Which of the following factors contribute to the existence of firms?

	A.	All of these factors contribute to firm existence
	B.	Risks associated with specialization
	C.	Incomplete contracts
	D.	Willingness of some people to take on risk in exchange for residual income

3 points

Question 4

Public goods are often subject to free-rider problems because these goods are:

	A.	Non-rival and non-excludable
	B.	Rival and non-excludable
	C.	Non-rival and excludable
	D.	Rival and excludable

3 points

Question 5

Which of the following is the most efficient mechanism for allocating scarce goods?

	A.	Government allocation system
	B.	First-come-first-served system
	C.	Market system
	D.	Random allocation system

3 points

Question 6

Many years ago, most of the major Hollywood movie studios also owned chains of local movie theaters across the US. Today, most of the local movie theaters are owned by other companies. What has happened to the degree of integration in the movie industry over time?

	A.	Less horizontally integrated
	B.	Less vertically integrated
	C.	More horizontally integrated
	D.	More vertically integrated

3 points

Question 7

Your firm produces replacement parts for the nuclear submarines operated by the US Navy. Which one of Porter's Five Forces will be most prominent in determining your strategies and profitability?

	A.	Bargaining Power of Suppliers
	B.	Bargaining Power of Customers
	C.	Threat of New Entrants
	D.	Threat of Substitutes

3 points

Question 8

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

	A.	The market mechanism for allocating resources is most efficient due to the incentives it creates.
	B.	Markets are always the most efficient way to allocate goods, even if the market is not perfectly competitive.
	C.	The random allocation mechanism provides no incentives at all.
	D.	The government allocation mechanism provides no incentive for the economy to grow.

3 points

Question 9

Suppose a firm's cost structure exhibits economies of scope. Which of the following actions is compatible with this cost structure?

Diversify into other product lines

Focus on core competencies and reduce production

Focus on core competencies and maintain constant production

Focus on core competencies and expand production

Question 10

Please refer to Table 8.3 on page 132 in the book. Suppose we change the payoffs in the "low price, low price" cell to 0, 25 from 0, 0. Does this change the Nash equilibrium for the game, and is the game still a Prisoner's Dilemma?

	A.	Equilibrium changes, still a Prisoner's Dilemma
	B.	Equilibrium changes, no longer a Prisoner's Dilemma
	C.	Same equilibrium, no longer a Prisoner's Dilemma
	D.	Same equilibrium, still a Prisoner's Dilemma

3 points

Question 11

Which of the following statements about restricting entry to markets is NOT true?

	A.	Brand identity and logos are expensive to establish, and entrants may find it very expensive to establish comparable position in the market.
	B.	Predatory pricing is illegal but very difficult to prove in court
	C.	Branded products tend to have more elastic demand, which makes it more difficult for entrants to charge high prices and they must stay out of the market.
	D.	A low-quality seller cannot effectively use a warranty program to keep other firms out of its market

3 points

Question 12

Your firm earns $2 million per quarter in total revenue, and your accounting profits are $100,000 per quarter. You do not charge the firm for the use of an old building that you own because it is 50 years old and fully depreciated. However, another firm has offered you $200,000 per quarter to use the facility, and this is the market rental rate for similar facilities. In this case, we know that your:

	A.	Opportunity costs are positive and economic profits are negative
	B.	Opportunity costs and economic profits are positive
	C.	Opportunity costs are negative and economic profits are positive
	D.	Opportunity costs and economic profits are negative

3 points

Question 13

Please refer to Question 13 in Chapter 1 (page 17). What is the marginal cost of reducing global warming by 0.017 degrees?

	A.	MC = 60
	B.	MC = 5
	C.	We do not have enough information to answer this question
	D.	MC = 50

3 points

Question 14

In Chapter 6, Boyes focuses on negative externalities such as the various types of pollution. However, as we discussed during our online session, we can also observe positive externalities in which external benefits are generated for people. Which of the following is NOT an example of a positive externality?

	A.	Workers can help one another to "cover the phones" and make sure that someone is always available to help clients
	B.	Workers can provide ideas to one another about how to solve problems
	C.	All of these cases are examples of positive externalities
	D.	Workers can form carpools and use other means to reduce commuting costs

3 points

Question 15

Common property resources are:

	A.	Non-rival and non-excludable
	B.	Non-rival and excludable
	C.	Rival and non-excludable
	D.	Rival and excludable

3 points

Question 16

The free-rider problem arises in markets for common property resources.

	A.	False
	B.	True

3 points

Question 17

Firms that set their product price below the actual cost of production may be engaging in:

	A.	Predatory pricing
	B.	Monopoly pricing
	C.	Moral hazard
	D.	Dollar-cost averaging

3 points

Question 18

Under a cap-and-trade mechanism to control air pollution, what happens to the price of pollution rights if the supply of righs is reduced (i.e., the supply of rights is reduced)?

Increases

Decreases

No change

Question 19

The key method for a manufacturing firm to avoid hold-up problems is to have another source of inputs.

	A.	False
	B.	True

3 points

Question 20

Your firm sells luxury autos, and you have asked the marketing department to develop and stronger brand identity through a new ad campaign. After the campaign has run for 6 months, you hire an economic consultant to study the impact of the campaign on the demand for your autos. The consultant reports that the demand for your cars is now more elastic than it was 6 months ago. Was the new ad campaign successful?

	A.	Yes
	B.	No

ECON 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Environment And Climate Change Canada, Opportunity Cost, Coase Theorem

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