Suppose that the current price of oil is $60 per barrel and the quantity sold is 90 million barrels per day. The current estimates of the price elasticity of supply and demand are PES=1 and PED=-.2 respectively.

What will be the effects on the market price and quantity if the U.S. government suddenly decides to purchase an additional 2 million barrels of oil? Assume that the additional consumption of oil by the government results in a parallel shift of the supply curve to the left by 2 million barrels per day.

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Joshua StredderLv10

28 Sep 2019

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Dalum Papir A/S is almost halfway through its second century as a Danish paper manufacturer. Years ago, the firm was one of many paper companies, but now it constitutes one- half of Denmark's two-firm paper industry. The company utilizes highly energy-efficient techniques to manufacture glossy paper from recycled materials for magazines. Dalum Papir has had little choice but to conserve energy. Government taxation has boosted energy prices more than 45 percent above the U.S. level. Also, like other Danish firms, Dalum Papir must meet government-mandated standards for energy conservation.

Ever since the 1970s, when a worldwide spike in oil prices set off a prolonged recession, Denmark's government has sought to shield the nation's economy from future aggregate supply shocks induced by jumps in energy prices. Toward that end, it has enacted high energy taxes and tough regulatory conservation measures. A consequence is that Danish oil consumption per $1 million of real GDP has declined by more than 30 percent - to 120 tons o oil per $1 million of real GDP - over the last 30 years. Indeed, Denmark's total oil consumption has remained unchanged since the late 1970s. Thus, consistent with the government's intent, whenever oil prices suddenly shoot up, Denmark's economy tends to experience smaller aggregate supply shocks than it did in years past.

As the experience of Dalum Papir and the dwindling Danish paper, industry illustrates, however, the government's quest for aggregate supply stability has come at the cost of growth in the production of goods and services. Since the late 1970s, Denmark's real GDP has doubled, whereas U.S. real GDP has quadrupled. During that period, total U.S. oil consumption has increased by more than 40 percent, yet because U.S. real GDP has increased fourfold, U.S. oil consumption per $1 million of real GDP has fallen by more than 25 percent - almost as much as the percentage decline in Danish oil consumption per $1 million in real GDP. Thus, although the Danish economy is less susceptible than the U.S. economy to aggregate supply shocks, Denmark's aggregate supply is growing at about half the pace at which the U.S. aggregate supply is expanding.

1. Why do unexpected variations in energy prices generate aggregate supply shocks, which sudden changes in total planned expenditures do not?

2. Other things being equal, why might we expect the Danish price level to be more stable over time than the U.S. price level?

bronzemuskrat540

Corn is a very valuable product for which the U.S. government routinely offers subsidies. With no price support, the equilibrium price for corn is $300 per ton and the equilibrium quantity is 500 million tons per year. Suppose that the government agrees to pay farmers $350 for every ton of corn they produce and can't sell in the market. According to the farmer's market supply curve, 600 million tons per year is supplied at the price of $350 a ton, so production should increase to this amount. However, domestic users of corn cut back their purchases. Only 450 million tons a year is demanded at the price of $350 a ton, and purchases decrease to this amount. Farmers continue to produce 500 million tons of corn per year, so because they produce a greater quantity of corn than domestic buyers are willing to purchase, something must be done with the surplus. To make the price support work, the government decides to buy the surplus. Step 2 Use the scenario to answer the following questions. In a one-page (250-word) document, answer the following questions using the information provided in the scenario from Step 1: * In this example, how many million tons does the government agree to buy? At what price? * How much in total does the U.S. government provide in subsidy to the corn farmers? Why? * Is the price support in this example efficient or inefficient? Explain your reasoning. * Is the subsidy fair? Explain your reasoning.

aquamarinecoyote26

Step 1: Read the following scenario. Corn is a very valuable product for which the U.S. government routinely offers subsidies. With no price support, the equilibrium price for corn is $300 per ton and the equilibrium quantity is 500 million tons per year. Suppose that the government agrees to pay farmers $350 for every ton of corn they produce and can't sell in the market. According to the farmer's market supply curve, 600 million tons per year is supplied at the price of $350 a ton, so production should increase to this amount. However, domestic users of corn cut back their purchases. Only 450 million tons a year is demanded at the price of $350 a ton, and purchases decrease to this amount. Farmers continue to produce 500 million tons of corn per year, so because they produce a greater quantity of corn than domestic buyers are willing to purchase, something must be done with the surplus. To make the price support work, the government decides to buy the surplus.

Step 2: Use the scenario to answer the following questions.

In a one-page (250-word) document, answer the following questions using the information provided in the scenario from Step 1:

In this example, how many million tons does the government agree to buy? At what price?

How much in total does the U.S. government provide in subsidy to the corn farmers? Why?

Is the price support in this example efficient or inefficient? Explain your reasoning.

Is the subsidy fair? Explain your reasoning.

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