Market failure and remedial measures: asymmetric information, public goods and externalities. - One Line Questions
1.
Which scenario illustrates asymmetric information? —
A used car seller knowing about a car's defects that the buyer does not.
2.
When a large number of buyers and sellers trade a homogeneous product, and there is perfect information, the market is considered: —
A perfectly competitive market
3.
A situation where an individual consumes a good, and this consumption provides a benefit to others, is known as: —
A positive consumption externality
4.
Which situation best illustrates moral hazard? —
A person with fire insurance becoming less careful about preventing fires.
5.
A situation where a single firm can supply the entire market at a lower cost than two or more firms is called: —
A natural monopoly
6.
Which of the following is an example of a common resource that may suffer from the tragedy of the commons? —
A fishing ground in international waters
7.
Which of the following is an example of a good that is excludable but rivalrous? —
A movie theatre ticket
8.
Which of the following best defines market failure? —
A situation where the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not efficient.
9.
If a government wants to encourage a socially beneficial activity that generates positive externalities, it might use: —
A subsidy
10.
The 'free-rider problem' is most closely associated with which type of market failure? —
Public goods
11.
The problem of adverse selection is particularly prevalent in markets where: —
Sellers have more information about the quality of the product than buyers.
12.
Which of the following is a method to combat moral hazard in lending? —
Requiring collateral or down payments.
13.
A cap-and-trade system sets a limit on total emissions and allows firms to trade permits, which is a form of: —
Market-based solution for externalities
14.
Government regulation of natural monopolies is often implemented to: —
Prevent the monopolist from charging excessively high prices and restricting output.
15.
The 'free-rider problem' arises because public goods are: —
Non-excludable
16.
The Sherman Antitrust Act in the US was primarily designed to address market failures related to: —
Monopoly power
17.
Which of the following is a potential private solution to an externality problem? —
Negotiation between affected parties (Coase Theorem)
18.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a natural monopoly that can lead to market failure if unregulated? —
Declining average total costs over the entire range of market demand
19.
Which of the following is a remedial measure for the market failure of asymmetric information? —
Mandating product labeling or disclosure requirements.
20.
A Pigouvian tax is designed to: —
Reduce the production or consumption of a good that generates negative externalities.
21.
Internalizing an externality means: —
Reducing the divergence between private and social costs/benefits.
22.
Information asymmetry can be reduced by: —
Implementing screening and signaling mechanisms.
23.
Government intervention in markets is typically justified when: —
Market failures lead to inefficient outcomes.
24.
The 'lemon problem' is a specific case of: —
Adverse selection
25.
A subsidy for education is a typical policy to address: —
Positive externalities
26.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a common resource (e.g., fish in the ocean)? —
Non-excludable and rivalrous
27.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a public good? —
The ability to charge a price based on individual consumption
28.
Which of the following is a potential remedy for adverse selection in the insurance market? —
Mandating insurance purchases.
29.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a good that is non-excludable? —
It is impossible to prevent people who have not paid for the good from consuming it.
30.
The concept of 'social cost' includes: —
The private cost plus any external cost.
31.
The 'tragedy of the commons' is a problem that arises from: —
Over-consumption of rivalrous but non-excludable resources.
32.
The market failure associated with public goods is the tendency for the market to: —
Under-produce and under-consume.
33.
Which of the following is a classic example of a positive externality? —
Vaccination against a contagious disease
34.
Which type of externality occurs when a firm pollutes a river, harming downstream fishing businesses? —
Negative production externality
35.
Government provision of public goods like national defense is justified because: —
The free market would under-provide these goods due to the free-rider problem.
36.
A negative externality occurs when: —
Production or consumption imposes a cost on a third party.
37.
Which type of market failure occurs when one party in a transaction has more or better information than the other party? —
Asymmetric information
38.
Tradable pollution permits (cap-and-trade) are a market-based approach to control: —
Externalities
39.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a public good? —
Non-rivalrous and non-excludable
40.
The provision of street lighting is often cited as an example of a: —
Public good
41.
Information asymmetry can lead to market collapse if the market is characterized by: —
Significant seller knowledge and buyer ignorance.
42.
Which government intervention is most likely to address a negative externality like pollution? —
Pigouvian tax
43.
Which policy aims to internalize an externality by making the producer pay for the social cost of their actions? —
Pigouvian tax
44.
A tax imposed on each unit of a pollutant emitted by a factory is known as a: —
Pigouvian tax
45.
Adverse selection is a problem that arises due to: —
The hidden characteristics of one party in a transaction.
46.
Moral hazard is a problem that arises due to: —
The hidden actions of one party in a transaction after it has been agreed upon.
47.
The 'lemons problem' in Akerlof's market model refers to: —
The market for low-quality goods driving out high-quality goods.
48.
Which of the following is a consequence of a negative externality like pollution? —
The market produces too much of the good.
49.
Coase Theorem suggests that private parties can solve externality problems through bargaining if: —
Property rights are well-defined and transaction costs are low.
50.
An externality is a cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit. —
True, and it is a primary cause of market failure.