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Chapter 12: Q.14 (page 296)
What is an externality?
Externality is a cost or benefit to a third party who does not participate in the consumption or production of a good or service.
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A country called Sherwood is very heavily covered with a forest of 50,000 trees. There are proposals
to clear some of Sherwood鈥檚 forest and grow corn, but obtaining this additional economic output will have an environmental cost from reducing the number of trees. Table 12.11 shows possible combinations of economic output and environmental protection.
a. Sketch a graph of a production possibility frontier with environmental quality on the horizontal axis, measured by the number of trees, and the quantity of economic output, measured in corn, on the vertical axis.
b. Which choices display productive efficiency? How can you tell?
c. Which choices show allocative efficiency? How can you tell?
d. In the choice between T and R, decide which one is better. Why?
e. In the choice between T and S, can you say which one is better, and why?
f. If you had to guess, which choice would you think is more likely to represent a command-and-control
environmental policy and which choice is more likely to represent a market-oriented environmental policy, choice Q or S? Why?
The state of Colorado requires oil and gas companies who use fracking techniques to return the land to its original condition after the oil and gas extractions. Table shows the total cost and total benefits (in dollars) of this policy.
Table
| Land Restored (in acres) | Total Cost | Total Benefit |
| 0 | \(0 | \)0 |
| 100 | \(20 | \)140 |
| 200 | \(80 | \)240 |
| 300 | \(160 | \)320 |
| 400 | \(280 | \)380 |
(a) Calculate the marginal cost and the marginal benefit at each quantity (acre) of land restored. See Production, Costs and Industry Structure if you need a refresher on how to calculate marginal costs and benefits.
b. If we apply marginal analysis, what is the optimal amount of land to be restored?
Identify whether the market supply curve will shift right or left or will stay the same for the following:
a. Firms in an industry are required to pay a fine for their carbon dioxide emissions.
b. Companies are sued for polluting the water in a river.
c. Power plants in a specific city are not required to address the impact of their air quality emissions.
d. Companies that use fracking to remove oil and gas from rock are required to clean up the damage.
What is the difference between private costs and social costs?
Is zero pollution possible under a marketable permits system? Why or why not?
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