SUPPLY, DEMAND, AND
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
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What we learn now?
• As scientists they try explain the world
• As policymakers they try to change the
world
• To that purpose we will only use tools of supply and
demand that we just developed
• The analysis will yield some surprising insights about
how markets work
• Common sense and economic analysis may give
opposing advise to policymakers
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Supply, demand, and government
• In a free, unregulated market system, market forces establish
equilibrium prices and quantities
• The market equilibrium may be efficient, but it may not leave everyone
satisfied
• Those who consider themselves to be losing from the market
outcomes will ask for government to intervene in the market
• The government intervention in the markets may take several
ways, depending on the circumstances
• We will look at two different cases of direct government
involvement in markets:
• Price controls
• Taxes levied on goods and services 3
Price controls
• Price control: government sets an upper or lower limit (or both) to
the price of good or service
• Price controls are often used in many countries
• Price controls are enacted by governments because
there is a demand for them from some sections of the public
• Who, either as buyers or sellers feel that the existing market
price is unfair to them
• We will distinguish between two types of controls
• Price Ceiling: a legally established maximum price at which a good
can be sold.
• Price Floor: a legally established minimum price at which a good
can be sold
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Price ceilings
• Price ceilings limit the maximum price that sellers can charge to
their customers
• In other words, market price can be lower but can not be
higher than the price fixed by government
• Two outcomes are possible when the government imposes a
price ceiling
• The price ceiling is not binding if it is set above the equilibrium
price
• It will have no impact on the market
• The price ceiling is binding if it is set below the equilibrium price
• It will lead to shortages in the market as demand exceeds supply
at that price
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A price ceiling that is not binding
Price of
Ice-Crea
m
Cone Supply
$ Price
4 ceilin
g
3
Equilibrium
price
Deman
d
0 10 Quantity of
0
Equilibrium Ice-Cream
quantity Cones
A price ceiling that is binding
Price of
Ice-Crea
m
Cone Supply
Equilibrium
price
$
3
2 Price
ceilin
Shortag g
e
Deman
d
0 7 12 Quantity of
5
Quantity 5
Quantity Ice-Cream
supplie demande Cones
Effects of price ceilings
• A price ceiling prevents the price to rise further even if
demand is high
• A binding price ceiling creates shortages because QD > QS.
• Example: there was a margarine shortage in Turkey during
1978-79 crisis because the price was fixed too low to cover the
costs of producers
• Shortages result in non-price rationing such as long lines in
front of the shops, discrimination by sellers and as a rule the
formation of a “black market”
• In Turkey there was a black market for dollars before 1980s
because the government had fixed the exchange rate below the
market equilibrium rate 8
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