Book cover for Economics

Economics

Michael Parkin

ISBN #9780133872279

12th Edition

839 Questions

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Summary

Learning Objectives

Key Concepts

Example Problems

Explanations

Common Mistakes

Summary

This section explains why governments exist and the economic functions they perform: safeguarding property rights, correcting market failures through nonmarket mechanisms, and redistributing income to achieve equity. It differentiates between public and private goods by examining characteristics like excludability and rivalry, underscores the free?rider problem that leads to inefficient underprovision of public goods, and discusses how political choices and bureaucratic behavior shape outcomes. A clear understanding of marginal social benefit and cost is central to determining efficient resource allocation, especially in critical areas such as healthcare and infrastructure.

Learning Objectives

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Key Concepts

CONCEPT

DEFINITION

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Example Problems

Example 1

Classify each of the following items as excludable, nonexcludable, rival, or nonrival. Explain your answer. A Big Mac Brooklyn bridge A view of the Statue of Liberty A hurricane warning system

Example 2

Classify each of the following items as a public good, a private good, a natural monopoly good, or a common resource. Explain your answer. Highway patrol services Internet service Fish in the Atlantic ocean UPS courier service

Example 3

For each of the following goods, explain why a free-rider problem arises or how it is avoided. July 4 th fireworks display Interstate 81 in Virginia Wireless Internet access in hotels The public library in your city

Example 4

The table sets out the benefits that Terri and Sue receive from on-campus police at night: Suppose that Terri and Sue are the only students on campus at night. Draw a graph to show the marginal social benefit from the on-campus police at night. Use the data on mosquito control in the table in the next column to work Problems 5 and 6

Example 5

What quantity of spraying would a private firm provide? What is the efficient quantity of spraying? In a single-issue election on mosquito control, what quantity would the winner provide?

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Step-by-Step Explanations

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Common Mistakes

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