© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, all rights reserved C H A P T E R Consumers,...

© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, all rights reserved

C H A P T E R

Consumers, Producers, Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of and the Efficiency of

MarketsMarketsEconomicsP R I N C I P L E S O FP R I N C I P L E S O F

N. Gregory N. Gregory MankiwMankiw

In this chapter, In this chapter, look for the answers to these look for the answers to these questions:questions: What is consumer/producer surplus? How are they

related to the demand/supply curves?

How do they relate to identifying the best market outcomes?

What is deadweight loss?

How do these concepts relate to mechanisms, like taxes, that are artificially imposed upon the marketplace?

2

CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, AND THE EFFICIENCY OF MARKETS 3

Welfare Economics Recall, the allocation of resources refers to:

how much of each good is produced which producers produce it which consumers consume it

Welfare economics studies how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being.

First, we look at the well-being of consumers.


Willingness to Pay (WTP)A buyer’s willingness to pay for a good is the maximum amount the buyer will pay for that good.

WTP measures how much the buyer values the good.

name WTP

Anthony $250

Chad 175

Flea 300

John 125

Example: 4 buyers’ WTP for an iPod


$0$50

$100$150$200$250$300$350

0 1 2 3 4

WTP and the Demand Curve

P Qd

$301 & up 0

251 – 300 1

176 – 250 2

126 – 175 3

0 – 125 4

P

Q


Consumer Surplus (CS)Consumer surplus is the amount a buyer is willing to pay minus the amount the buyer actually pays:

CS = WTP – P

name WTP

Anthony $250

Chad 175

Flea 300

John 125

Suppose P = $260.

Flea’s CS = $300 – 260 = $40.

The others get no CS because they do not buy an iPod at this price.

Total CS = $40.


$0$50

$100$150$200$250$300$350

0 1 2 3 4

CS and the Demand CurveP

Q

Flea’s WTP

Anthony’s WTP

Instead, suppose P = $220

Flea’s CS = $300 – 220 = $80

Anthony’s CS =$250 – 220 = $30

Total CS = $110


$0$50

$100$150$200$250$300$350

0 1 2 3 4

CS and the Demand CurveP

Q

The lesson:Total CS equals the area under

the demand curve above the price,

from 0 to Q.


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

P

Q

CS with Lots of Buyers & a Smooth D Curve

The demand for shoes

D

CS is the area b/w P and the D curve, from 0 to Q.

Recall: area of a triangle equals ½ x base x height

Height =$60 – 30 = $30.

So, CS = ½ x 15 x $30 = $225.

h

$


Cost and the Supply Curve

name cost

Jack $10

Janet 20

Chrissy 35

A seller will produce and sell the good/service only if the price exceeds his or her cost.

Hence, cost is a measure of willingness to sell.

Cost is the value of everything a seller must give up to produce a good (i.e., opportunity cost).

Includes cost of all resources used to produce good, including value of the seller’s time.

Example: Costs of 3 sellers in the lawn-cutting business.


$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

0 1 2 3

Producer SurplusP

Q

Producer surplus (PS): the amount a seller is paid for a good minus the seller’s cost

PS = P – cost


$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

0 1 2 3

Producer Surplus and the S Curve

P

Q

PS = P – cost

Suppose P = $25.

Jack’s PS = $15

Janet’s PS = $5

Chrissy’s PS = $0

Total PS = $20

Janet’s cost

Jack’s cost

Total PS equals the area above the supply curve under the price,

from 0 to Q.

Chrissy’s

cost


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

P

Q

How a Lower Price Reduces PS

If P falls to $30,PS = ½ x 15 x $15 = $112.50

Two reasons for the fall in PS.

S

1. Fall in PS due to sellers leaving market

2. Fall in PS due to remaining sellersgetting lower P


CS, PS, and Total SurplusCS = (value to buyers) – (amount paid by buyers)

= buyers’ gains from participating in the market

PS = (amount received by sellers) – (cost to sellers)= sellers’ gains from participating in the market

Total surplus = CS + PS= total gains from trade in a market= (value to buyers) – (cost to sellers)


The Market’s Allocation of Resources

In a market economy, the allocation of resources is decentralized, determined by the interactions of many self-interested buyers and sellers.

Is the market’s allocation of resources desirable? Or would a different allocation of resources make society better off?

To answer this, we use total surplus as a measure of society’s well-being, and we consider whether the market’s allocation is efficient. (Policymakers also care about equality, though are focus here is on efficiency.)


Efficiency

An allocation of resources is efficient if it maximizes total surplus. Efficiency means: The goods are consumed by the buyers who

value them most highly. The goods are produced by the producers with the

lowest costs. Raising or lowering the quantity of a good

would not increase total surplus.

= (value to buyers) – (cost to sellers)Total

surplus


Evaluating the Market Equilibrium

Market eq’m: P = $30 Q = 15,000

Total surplus = CS + PS

Is the market eq’m efficient?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

P

Q

S

D

CS

PS


Does Eq’m Q Maximize Total Surplus?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

P

Q

S

D

The market eq’m quantity maximizes total surplus:At any other quantity, can increase total surplus by moving toward the market eq’m quantity.


The free market vs. central planning

Suppose resources were allocated not by the market, but by a central planner who cares about society’s well-being.

To allocate resources efficiently and maximize total surplus, the planner would need to know every seller’s cost and every buyer’s WTP for every good in the entire economy.

This is impossible, and why centrally-planned economies are never very efficient.

SUPPLY, DEMAND, AND GOVERNMENT POLICIES 20

Taxes The govt levies taxes on many goods & services

to raise revenue to pay for national defense, public schools, etc.

The govt can make buyers or sellers pay the tax.

The tax can be a % of the good’s price, or a specific amount for each unit sold. For simplicity, we analyze per-unit taxes only.


S1

EXAMPLE 3: The Market for Pizza

Eq’m w/o tax P

Q

D1

$10.00

500


S1

D1

$10.00

500

A Tax on BuyersThe price buyers pay is now $1.50 higher than the market price P.

P would have to fallby $1.50 to makebuyers willing to buy same Q as before.

E.g., if P falls from $10.00 to $8.50,buyers still willing topurchase 500 pizzas.

P

QD2

Effects of a $1.50 per unit tax on buyers

$8.50

Hence, a tax on buyers shifts the D curve down by the amount of the tax.

Tax


S1

D1

$10.00

500

A Tax on Buyers

P

QD2

$11.00PB =

$9.50PS =

Tax

Effects of a $1.50 per unit tax on buyers

New eq’m:

Q = 450

Sellers receive PS = $9.50

Buyers pay PB = $11.00

Difference between them = $1.50 = tax 450


450

S1

The Incidence of a Tax:how the burden of a tax is shared among

market participantsP

Q

D1

$10.00

500

D2

$11.00PB =

$9.50PS =

Tax

In our example,

buyers pay $1.00 more,

sellers get $0.50 less.


S1

A Tax on Sellers

P

Q

D1

$10.00

500

S2

Effects of a $1.50 per unit tax on sellers

The tax effectively raises sellers’ costs by $1.50 per pizza.

Sellers will supply 500 pizzas only if P rises to $11.50, to compensate for this cost increase.

$11.50

Hence, a tax on sellers shifts the S curve up by the amount of the tax.

Tax


S1

A Tax on Sellers

P

Q

D1

$10.00

500

S2

450

$11.00PB =

$9.50PS =

Tax

Effects of a $1.50 per unit tax on sellers

New eq’m:

Q = 450

Buyers pay PB = $11.00

Sellers receive PS = $9.50

Difference between them = $1.50 = tax


S1

The Outcome Is the Same in Both Cases!

What matters is this:

A tax drives a wedge between the price buyers pay and the price sellers receive.

P

Q

D1

$10.00

500450

$9.50

$11.00PB =

PS =

Tax

The effects on P and Q, and the tax incidence are the same whether the tax is imposed on buyers or sellers!


Elasticity and Tax IncidenceCASE 1: Supply is more elastic than demand

P

QD

S

Tax

Buyers’ share of tax burden

Sellers’ share of tax burden

Price if no tax

PB

PS

It’s easier for sellers than buyers to leave the market. So buyers bear most of the burden of the tax.


Elasticity and Tax IncidenceCASE 2: Demand is more elastic than supply

P

Q

D

S

Tax



Price if no tax

PB

PS

It’s easier for buyers than sellers to leave the market. Sellers bear most of the burden of the tax.


CASE STUDY: Who Pays the Luxury Tax?

1990: Congress adopted a luxury tax on yachts, private airplanes, furs, expensive cars, etc.

Goal of the tax: raise revenue from those who could most easily afford to pay – wealthy consumers.

But who really pays this tax?


CASE STUDY: Who Pays the Luxury Tax?

The market for yachts

P

Q

D

S

Tax



PB

PS

Demand is price-elastic.

In the short run, supply is inelastic.

Hence, companies that build yachts pay most of the tax.

APPLICATION: THE COSTS OF TAXATION 32

QT

The Effects of a TaxP

Q

D

S

Eq’m with no tax: Price = PE Quantity = QE

PS

PB

PE

QE

Eq’m with tax = $T per unit:

Sellers receive PS

Quantity = QT

Buyers pay PB

Size of tax = $T



Q

D

S

Revenue from tax: $T x QT

PS

PB

PE

QEQT

Size of tax = $T


The Effects of a Tax Next, we apply welfare economics to measure

the gains and losses from a tax.

We determine consumer surplus (CS), producer surplus (PS), tax revenue, and total surplus with and without the tax.

Tax revenue can fund beneficial services (e.g., education, roads, police) so we include it in total surplus.



Q

D

S

Without a tax,

PE

QEQT

A

B C

D E

F

CS = A + B + CPS = D + E + FTax revenue = 0

Total surplus= CS + PS= A + B + C + D + E + F



Q

D

S

PS

PB

QEQT

A

B C

D E

F

CS = APS = FTax revenue = B + DTotal surplus

= A + B + D + F

With the tax,

The tax reduces total surplus by C + E



Q

D

S

PS

PB

QEQT

A

B C

D E

F

C + E is called the deadweight loss (DWL) of the tax, the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion, such as a tax.


About the Deadweight LossP

Q

D

S

PS

PB

QEQT

Because of the tax, the units between QT and QE are not sold.

The value of these units to buyers is greater than the cost of producing them,

so the tax prevents some mutually beneficial trades.


What Determines the Size of the DWL?

Which goods or services should govt tax to raise the revenue it needs?

One answer: those with the smallest DWL.

When is the DWL small vs. large? Turns out it depends on the price elasticities of supply and demand.

Recall: The price elasticity of demand (or supply) measures how much QD (or QS) changes when P changes.


When supply is inelastic,

it’s harder for firms to leave the market when the tax reduces PS.

So, the tax only reduces Q a little,

and DWL is small.

DWL and the Elasticity of Supply

P

Q

D

S

Size of tax


DWL and the Elasticity of Supply

P

Q

D

S

Size of tax

The more elastic is supply,

the easier for firms to leave the market when the tax reduces PS,

the greater Q falls below the surplus-maximizing quantity,

the greater the DWL.

The government must raise tax revenue to pay for schools, police, etc. To do this, it can either tax groceries or meals at fancy restaurants.

Which should it tax?

A C T I V E L E A R N I N G A C T I V E L E A R N I N G 33 Discussion questionDiscussion question

42


The Effects of Changing the Size of the Tax

Policymakers often change taxes, raising some and lowering others.

What happens to DWL and tax revenue when taxes change? We explore this next….


Q3

DWL and the Size of the TaxP

Q

D

S

Q1

3T Tcauses the DWL to more than triple.

Tripling the tax

Initially, the tax is T per unit.

initial DWL

new DWL


Q3

Revenue and the Size of the TaxP

Q

D

S

Q2

PB

PS

PB

PS

3T 2TWhen the tax is larger, increasing it causes tax revenue to fall.


The Laffer curve shows the relationship between the size of the tax and tax revenue.

Revenue and the Size of the Tax

Tax size

Tax revenue

The Laffer curve

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