Exam 10: Externalities and Property Rights

Refer to the figure below. This graph describes a good that:

Early settlers in the town of Dry Gulch drilled wells to pump as much water as they wanted from the single aquifer beneath the town. (An aquifer is an underground body of water.) As more people settled in Dry Gulch, the aquifer level fell and new wells had to be drilled deeper at higher cost. In Dry Gulch, the supply of water is:

Which of the following is an example of an activity with an external cost?

The existence of a negative externality will result in:

Refer to the figure below. The socially optimal quantity in this market could be achieved by imposing a ______ equal to the vertical distance ______.

If it is possible to place a commonly held resource under private ownership, then:

Suppose that in most car collisions between cars of unequal size, the smaller car sustains the most damage and its occupants suffer the most injury. In answering the following question, assume that, on average, smaller cars generate less air pollution than larger cars and that every person in the economy drives at least one car. In deciding what kind of car to buy, individuals:

Suppose Erie Textiles can dispose of its waste "for free" by dumping it into a nearby river. While the firm benefits from dumping waste into the river, the waste reduces fish and bird reproduction. This causes damage to local fishermen and bird watchers. At a cost, Erie Textiles can filter out the toxins, in which case local fishermen and bird watchers will not suffer any damage. The relevant gains and losses (in thousands of dollars) for the three parties are listed below. With Filter Without Filter Gains to Erie \ 200 \ 400 Fisherman \ 180 \ 50 Bird Watchers \ 130 \ 25 Suppose you observe that Erie has not added a filter. You could conclude that the Coase Theorem failed to solve the externality problem because:

A village has five residents, each of whom has an accumulated savings of $50. Each villager can use the money to buy a government bond that pays 10% interest per year or to buy a year-old goat, send it onto the commons to graze, and sell it after one year. The price of the goat that the villager will get at the end of the year depends on the amount of weight it gains while grazing on the commons, which in turn depends on the number of goats sent onto the commons, as shown in table below. Assume that if a villager is indifferent between buying a bond and buying a goat, the villager will buy a goat. Number of goats on the commons Price per 2-year old goat (\ ) Income per goat ( \/ year) 1 80 30 2 75 25 3 70 20 4 65 15 5 55 5 What is the socially optimal number of goats to be sent out onto the commons?

From society's standpoint, positional arms races lead to outcomes that are ______.

If the production of a good generates a positive externality, then:

The insight that people can always arrive at efficient solutions to the problems caused by externalities if they can negotiate the purchase and sale of the right to perform activities that cause externalities is called the _______.

A village has five residents, each of whom has an accumulated savings of $50. Each villager can use the money to buy a government bond that pays 10% interest per year or to buy a year-old goat, send it onto the commons to graze, and sell it after one year. The price of the goat that the villager will get at the end of the year depends on the amount of weight it gains while grazing on the commons, which in turn depends on the number of goats sent onto the commons, as shown in table below. Assume that if a villager is indifferent between buying a bond and buying a goat, the villager will buy a goat. $\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \begin{array} { c } \text { Number of goats } \\\text { on the commons }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Price per 2-year } \\\text { old goat (\$) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Income per goat } \\\text { (\$/year) }\end{array} \\\hline 1 & 80 & 30 \\\hline 2 & 75 & 25 \\\hline 3 & 70 & 20 \\\hline 4 & 65 & 15 \\\hline 5 & 55 & 5 \\\hline\end{array}$ If each villager is purely self-interested, how many goats will be sent onto the commons?

Early settlers in the town of Dry Gulch drilled wells to pump as much water as they wanted from the single aquifer beneath the town. (An aquifer is an underground body of water.) As more people settled in Dry Gulch, the aquifer level fell and new wells had to be drilled deeper at higher cost. The residents of Dry Gulch will overuse water relative to the social optimum because ______.

Since the cost of using more of any resource is ______, viewing any resource's price as zero leads to ______.

If the equilibrium quantity is equal to the socially optimal quantity, one can infer that:

A village has five residents, each of whom has an accumulated savings of $50. Each villager can use the money to buy a government bond that pays 10% interest per year or to buy a year-old goat, send it onto the commons to graze, and sell it after one year. The price of the goat that the villager will get at the end of the year depends on the amount of weight it gains while grazing on the commons, which in turn depends on the number of goats sent onto the commons, as shown in table below. Assume that if a villager is indifferent between buying a bond and buying a goat, the villager will buy a goat. $\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \begin{array} { c } \text { Number of goats } \\\text { on the commons }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Price per 2-year } \\\text { old goat (\$) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Income per goat } \\\text { (\$/year) }\end{array} \\\hline 1 & 80 & 30 \\\hline 2 & 75 & 25 \\\hline 3 & 70 & 20 \\\hline 4 & 65 & 15 \\\hline 5 & 55 & 5 \\\hline\end{array}$ The villagers will buy a year-old goat if the goat can be sold for a price of at least _____ when it is 2 years old.

Refer to the figure below. At the private market equilibrium quantity, the marginal cost of the last unit produced is ______ the social marginal benefit of the last unit produced.

This graph shows the marginal cost and marginal benefit associated with roadside litter clean up. Assume that the marginal benefit curve and marginal cost curve each have their usual slope. From the graph, one can infer that:

Shel and Fran are neighbors. They work at the same firm and hold the same title. Shel finds that when Fran's consumption rises, Shel feels worse off. Fran feels the same way about Shel's consumption. Fran has bought a new Jaguar (a luxury car), and shortly thereafter, Shel bought a new Mercedes (also a luxury car). Shel and Fran seem to be: