Positive and Negative Externalities in Consumption and Production
Descripción
A Levels (Unit 1, 4 Market Failure) Economics Mapa Mental sobre Positive and Negative Externalities in Consumption and Production, creado por beth2384 el 02/01/2014.
Positive and Negative
Externalities in
Consumption and
Production
EXTERNALITIES= costs or benefits that spill over
to third parties external to a market transaction
Occur outside of the market,
affecting individuals not
directly involved in the
production and/or consumption
of a particular good or service
MARGINAL PRIVATE COST= the cost to an
individual or firm of an economic transaction
MARGINAL EXTERNAL COST= the spillover
cost to third parties of an economic transaction
MARGINAL SOCIAL COST= the full cost
to society of an economic transaction,
including private and external costs
MARGINAL PRIVATE BENEFIT= the benefit to
an individual or firm of an economic transaction
MARGINAL EXTERNAL BENEFIT= the spillover
benefit to third parties of an economic transaction
MARGINAL SOCIAL BENEFIT= the full
benefit to society of an economic transaction,
including private and external benefits
NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES= costs
imposed on a third party not involved with
the consumption or production of the good
POSITIVE EXTERNALITY= a positive spillover
effect to third parties of a market transaction
Negative externalities
social costs > private costs
the individual consumer does not take into account
the effect of externalities in their calculations
e.g. if you make a car journey you only consider the things affecting you like petrol cost and
congestion charges or tolls you must pay, you would not seriously consider additional costs you
may be imposing on others like congestion, pollution or other environmental damage
marginal social cost= marginal
private cost + marginal external cost
Positive externalities
social benefits > private benefits
e.g. if you go to the doctors and are inoculatd against a disease then
you benefit from not catching the disease, but others who come into
contact with you also benefit as they are less likely to get that disease
marginal social benefit= marginal private benefit + marginal external benefit
Externalities as market failure
Externalities will lead to the wrong amount of the product being
produced; goods with negative externalities will be over-produced
and goods with positive externalities will be under-produced
e.g. a firm running a coal-fired power station will not consider atmospheric pollution when calculating prices
for their electricity, the cost will be lower than if the full social cost (private costs + external costs) were to be considered
This is OVER-PRODUCTION LEADING TO A NEGATIVE EXTERNALITY
shifts supply
e.g. education may be available but it will be under-consumed
in a free market as people do not consider the full social
benefits (private benefits + external benefits) when consumed
This is UNDER-PRODUCTION LEADING TO A POSITIVE EXTERNALITY