Questions tagged [externalities]
The externalities tag has no usage guidance.
66
questions
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0answers
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At what level should I cluster my standard errors and why?
I have a yearly panel data in which each observation is a pair of monitoring stations (stations measuring water quality in rivers) one located upstream and the other downstream, each station in the ...
5
votes
3answers
155 views
Positive externalities of cars - free seats on public transport
I was in a discussion about externalities surrounding private and public transport.
Someone argued that by taking a car they are creating a positive externality by not taking up a seat on a bus or ...
2
votes
0answers
26 views
Solving for the efficient subsidy amount with an externality
I am dealing with a problem that is set up as follows: Actors A and B get utility from consumption ($c_i$) and disutility from safety measures ($s_i$), however their chance of getting sick is reduced ...
4
votes
1answer
152 views
Pigouvian tax equivalent to Coasian payments
Consider an economy with two goods, $x$ and $y$. Suppose person a's consumption of good $y$ imposes a negative externality on person b. Person a's utility maximisation problem is
$$\max_{x_a,y_a} \ ...
5
votes
1answer
73 views
Pigouvian tax with general utility function
Suppose person a's consumption of good $y$ imposes a negative externality on person b. Person a's utility maximisation problem is
$$\max_{x_a,y_a} \ u_a(x_a,y_a),$$
subject to
$$p_x x_a+p_y y_a=e_a.$$
...
0
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0answers
46 views
Question about externalities
I have the following question about externalities.
Suppose that a company is planning to construct a building next to your house which will limit your access to the street. This will force you to ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Understanding an article in the BMJ about the sugar tax
The research paper Changes in soft drinks purchased by British households associated with the UK soft drinks industry levy: controlled interrupted time series analysis was examining the impact of the ...
1
vote
2answers
49 views
external benefit confusion
I'm a little confused by the following question and answer provided by MRU:
Fruit farmers pay beekeepers for their honeybees’ pollination
services. Honeybees provide an external benefit to fruit ...
2
votes
2answers
76 views
Optimal Price and Quantity of Externality
I am trying to solve the following question:
Let $h \geq 0$ represent a negative externality of a firm's production on one (representative) consumer. The consumer has a quasi-linear utility function ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Calculating optimal level of negative externality
I am trying to solve the following question(s):
Let $h \geq 0$ represent a negative externality of a firm's production on one (representative) consumer. The consumer has a quasi-linear utility ...
2
votes
2answers
113 views
Internalising an externality for a free merit good
I am researching vaccinations as a merit good and I am focusing on an article which discusses how some people are rejecting one of the COVID vaccines because of misinformation about how it may be less ...
1
vote
1answer
75 views
I don't understand how a graph would look like for this situation
If there is a negative production externality of agriculture which is water wastage, and the government provides a 100% subsidy to the farmers so they can buy irrigation gadgets to reduce water ...
3
votes
1answer
40 views
Consumption Externalities in partial equilibrium analysis
I've been working on a standard partial equilibrium with externalities problem and have been having some difficulty with these (relatively) basic concepts. My issue is primarly with solving for Pareto ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
Question about deadweight social burden triangle. Error in the test?
I have been trying to answer the following question for the past two hours. I've looked at textbook examples, online resources and lecture notes. There seem to be two correct answers but I may be ...
4
votes
2answers
119 views
Externality and Output
In a positive externality, can government just set the price to the socially efficient price instead of a subsidy to correct an externality?
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Economic impact of employer ignorance to cliff effects?
Let's say an employee, Mike in Indiana, earns \$10.50 an hour. He gets a raise to \$13, but because he is no longer eligible for SNAP (food stamps), his net earnings actually go down. His wage has ...
4
votes
1answer
128 views
In the case of externalities, does the initial allocation of rights affect the final outcome from the perspective of each party?
I think I understand the main implication of the Coase Theorem—that the outcome will be Pareto efficient regardless of the initial allocation of property rights, provided transaction costs are zero, ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
Resources on effects of transactions building in externalities
In theory, a nation could build the full economic cost of externalities, be they positive or negative, into a wide range of transactions. Are there any comprehensive resources on the effects this ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Why is the equilibrium network size can be less than the socially optimal size in networks w/ positive externalities for single system?
For Context, I am reading http://web.mit.edu/rpindyck/www/Courses/NetEx19.pdf. The chapter talks about network externalities in single system like fax machine, email, vaccinations for measles. ...
3
votes
1answer
85 views
Is there any academic source that uses the following 'standard broad' definitions of externality?
According to answer to this question by KennyLJ., there exists the following definition of externality:
The simple, standard, and broad definition I favor is this:
A decision's effects are called ...
0
votes
2answers
132 views
Is the use/consumption of natural resources considered an externality per se?
On a finite planet natural resources are rival goods by definition, i.e. if one agent uses/consumes a natural resource it becomes unavailable for other agents.
Mankiw defines an externality as "the ...
1
vote
1answer
50 views
Externalities, Pigouvian Taxes and Wikipedia
It states on Wikipedia:
A Pigovian tax (also called Pigouvian tax, after economist Arthur C.
Pigou) is a tax imposed that is equal in value to the negative
externality. The result is that the ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
How much should it cost to close the beach?
For most of the past week a private surfing contest has closed off Steamer Lane
- one of California's most popular waves - while paying only a few hundred dollars in permit fees. I think this is far ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Optimizing Lagrangian Function Subject to 4 Input/Output Constraints:
The objective function:
$$\text{utility}=U\left(x_{c}, y_{c}\right)$$
subject to,
$x_{o}=f\left(y_{i}\right)$
$y_{o}=g\left(x_{i}, x_{o}\right)$
$x_{c}+x_{i}=x_{o}+x^{*}$
$y_{c}+y_{i}=y_{o}+y^{*}$
...
1
vote
1answer
203 views
Relationship between the Tragedy of the Commons and negative externalities?
I've read that the tragedy of the commons can be seen as a negative externality. That is, $MSC > MPC$. However, I'm having trouble understanding why the supply curve actually shifts downwards due ...
5
votes
0answers
53 views
Estimates of magnitude of externalities generated by education?
It is standard to claim that education generates positive externalities.
For example, Mankiw (2017, Principles of Economics, p. 193):
education also yields positive externalities. One externality ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
Externalities from motor vehicles - more recent estimates?
I am looking for estimates for the externalities from motor vehicles.
There's an excellent paper "Automobile Externalities and Policies" (2007) on this exact issue, but it's a bit old now.
I was ...
1
vote
2answers
44 views
Is there an externality if someone buys all stock of some merchandise?
Is there an externality if someone buys all stock of some merchandise? On one hand, if they buy all of everything and there's still demand then they've taken it away from other people. On the other ...
2
votes
2answers
87 views
Is loss in tax revenue a negative externality?
I was thinking about how online gambling could cause numerous governments to face a reduction in tax revenue from conventional gambling, upon which taxes do apply in most countries.
If governments ...
0
votes
1answer
95 views
(Microeconomics) How to classify Public Goods and Common Resources in Externalities?
In Microeconomics there are 4 types of externalities - Positive Consumption Externality, Positive Production Externality, Negative Consumption Externality, and Negative Production Externality. And ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Question regarding social welfare in the presence of externalities
I am currently learning high school level economics and I do not understand how indirect taxation may increase net social welfare in the presence of negative production externality.
This is because, ...
2
votes
2answers
634 views
Providing subsidies affects Marginal Private cost but not Marginal Social Cost?
According to the theory that I'm seeing on the internet and in textbooks, when a government wants to correct underproduction due to a positive externality of production, they can decide to subsidize ...
3
votes
3answers
378 views
Is there really an "efficient equilibrium *price*" with externalities?
In the "Intro to Micro" approach to externalities, I've always felt uneasy as a teacher with the idea that there is something like an "efficient equilibrium" with a single "efficient price".
To keep ...
4
votes
2answers
102 views
Does the Efficient Market Hypothesis Solve the Tragedy of the Commons?
My layman understanding of the Efficient Market Hypothesis is that there is so much brain power focused on the maximization of profit in the marketplace, that the market will find the best solution ...
0
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0answers
28 views
Question on Finding the Correct Emission Tax $t$
Let there be two companies $U_{1}$ and $U_{2}$ where, initially $U_{1}$ produces and sells $x$ units at $p=18$. Production costs are $C_{U_{1}}(x)=\frac{1}{6}x^3$ and in the process $a$ units of ...
-1
votes
1answer
69 views
How does social cost and social benefit work?
I am really lost right now. I have a test tomorrow and I am stressing out.
Whatever I look at for externalities, which could be my textbook, a website, notes from class, they all contradict each other....
4
votes
2answers
302 views
Is it right to derive social marginal benefit by adding individual prices instead of quantities?
I come across a lecture material on market functions and externalities that makes me quite confused. Here's the setup: Two stores are located next to each other. If one installs a camera system in ...
1
vote
2answers
145 views
Welfare status when a positive externality is subsidised
I was wondering if there is still welfare loss for example there is a positive externality in production of a good and the government decides to subsidise the good?
I think it does still have ...
1
vote
1answer
665 views
Who pays externalities?
Suppose the state raises taxes in order to internalise externalities. Doesn't the consumer have to pay the additional external costs then, because the prices are raised due to the taxes?
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0answers
517 views
Private and Social Optimum with externality in this example
Firstly, I wanted to know if we may be consider as an externality, a situation such that a customer A bought a bike to a seller B, not properly checked - and which may provoke some accidents.
...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Optimal taxing in case of negative externalities
Suppose an individual $i$ has the utility function
$U= f(x(i)) - k$(sum of all $x$ with index not equal to $i$)
Where $x(i)$ denotes the miles driven by $i$, and $k$ is a positive constant.
The ...
1
vote
2answers
270 views
Are risk-costs a form of external costs?
An example to make to question more clear: With the use of nuclear power plants come several risk-costs (the risk of a nuclear disaster). These costs aren't included in the energy price and there is ...
2
votes
0answers
236 views
Pigouvian subsidies for non-linear marginal external benefits
Suppose an agent is choosing how much $x$ to consume and $p_x=200$. If the agent's marginal private benefit is $MPB(x)=300/x$ and $x$ takes only integer values, then he will choose to purchase just ...
0
votes
1answer
388 views
What would a negative externality diagram look like if the initial price is equal to 0 and then increased with tax?
The price of plastic bags in Scotland has been increased from free to 0.05 pounds sterling. How would I represent the negative externality decrease using a diagram in such a situation?
This is what I ...
2
votes
0answers
189 views
Competitive prices, tax and lump sum cash transfer in case of externalities
An economy is made up of two people. The utility functions are
$$u_1(x_{11},x_{12}) = x_{11}x_{12}$$
$$u_2(x_{21},x_{22}) = 2x_{21} + 2x_{22} −x_{11}$$
The initial endowments are $ω_1 = (1,0)$ and $...
3
votes
2answers
159 views
How can a free market be operated in a way that significant social and environmental costs are intrinsically covered?
More precisely, is there any practical way to operate a free market so that external costs, namely negative social and environmental impacts, become naturally (intrinsically) covered (paid for or ...
2
votes
2answers
198 views
Why does the European Union give subsidies to farmers?
According to neoclassical economics, subsidies are a solution to correct for the existence of externalities in consumption or production.
What is the economic rationale/justification for such ...
6
votes
2answers
4k views
Pareto optimality with externalities
I'm reading the book "Economics of natural ressources and the environment" written by D. Pearce and R. Turner. They explain that the competitive equilibrium is not a Pareto optimum in case of (...
3
votes
1answer
755 views
Externalities - First order conditions
I am currently reading the book "Microeconomics: Principles and Analysis" by Cowell on my own. I'm reading the externalities chapter, and i found an interesting example:
There are just two firms: ...
5
votes
1answer
382 views
Understanding at a quote about externalities in law and economics
that something is an externality is partly a statement about physical reality and partly a statement about the legal system.
What does this mean? I assume the aspect of externality being a physical ...
