A key advantage of tradable pollution permits over corrective taxes is that:

Correct answer: The government can achieve a target quantity of pollution without knowing the exact demand curve for pollution rights.

Explanation

This question addresses a subtle but important difference between the two main market-based policies. When the goal is to limit the quantity of pollution to a specific amount, permits are more direct and certain than taxes, especially when the demand for pollution rights is unknown.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the term for the uncompensated impact of one person's actions on the well-being of a bystander?

Question 2

If the impact of an externality on a bystander is beneficial, it is called a:

Question 3

In the presence of a negative externality like pollution, how does the social cost of a good compare to the private cost?

Question 4

In a market with a negative externality, the market equilibrium quantity (Q MARKET) is:

Question 5

What is the term for altering incentives so that people take into account the external effects of their actions?

Question 6

In the case of a positive externality, how does the social value of a good relate to the private value?

Question 7

What is the appropriate government policy response to a positive externality like education?

Question 8

A technology spillover is an example of what kind of externality?

Question 9

What is the primary reason economists usually prefer corrective taxes to command-and-control regulations for dealing with pollution?

Question 10

Taxes enacted to deal with the effects of negative externalities are often called:

Question 11

In the example of the paper mill and steel mill, if the EPA levies a $50,000 tax per ton of glop, which factory will reduce its pollution more?

Question 12

What is the key difference between corrective taxes and most other taxes discussed in Chapter 8?

Question 13

According to the 2007 study mentioned in the chapter, what was the optimal corrective tax on gasoline in the United States, compared to the actual tax?

Question 14

When the EPA uses tradable pollution permits, what does the supply curve for pollution rights look like?

Question 15

What is the core proposition of the Coase theorem?

Question 16

According to the Coase theorem, why does the initial distribution of rights not matter for reaching an efficient outcome?

Question 17

What are transaction costs?

Question 18

Why do private solutions to externalities often fail when the number of interested parties is large?

Question 19

Which of the following is given as an example of a command-and-control policy to address an externality?

Question 20

What is a primary reason economists are critical of industrial policy aimed at subsidizing industries with technology spillovers?

Question 21

In the case study about the paper mill and steel mill, the EPA considers requiring each factory to reduce pollution to 300 tons per year. What type of policy is this?

Question 22

When the government sets a price on the right to pollute via a corrective tax, the demand curve for pollution rights determines what?

Question 23

When the government limits the quantity of pollution by issuing tradable permits, what determines the price of pollution?

Question 24

The story of Dick's barking dog, Spot, and his neighbor Jane is used to illustrate which economic concept?

Question 25

In the example of Dick and Jane, if Dick gets a $500 benefit from his dog and Jane bears an $800 cost from the barking, what is the efficient outcome?

Question 26

A local drama company's theater creates traffic, costing the community $5 per ticket. This is an example of a:

Question 27

If the external benefit of a fire extinguisher is $10, what government policy would yield the efficient outcome?

Question 28

Why might an economist argue that a clean environment is a normal good?

Question 29

What is the primary shortcoming of command-and-control policies, like uniform pollution reduction, according to economists?

Question 30

What is the primary message of the 'In the News' feature titled 'The Externalities of Country Living'?

Question 31

In the Dick and Jane example, if Dick values his dog at $1,000 and Jane bears a cost of $800 from barking, what will happen if Jane has the legal right to peace and quiet?

Question 32

The example of the Golden Rule ('Do unto others as you would have them do unto you') is presented in the chapter as a private solution to externalities based on:

Question 33

In the market for a good with a negative externality, the social-cost curve lies above the supply curve because:

Question 34

How can patent protection help solve the problem of technology spillovers?

Question 35

In the case of a positive externality, the market produces a quantity that is too small because:

Question 36

A glue factory and a steel mill emit smoke. In response, the town government requires that both reduce emissions by 50 percent. This is an example of:

Question 37

If a government were to auction tradable pollution permits, the final price of the permits would be determined by:

Question 38

The example of the apple grower and the beekeeper, whose activities each confer a positive externality on the other, is used to illustrate which type of private solution?

Question 39

The 'In the News' article 'Cap and Trade' suggests that giving away carbon allowances for free instead of auctioning them has what primary negative consequence?

Question 40

Greater consumption of alcohol leads to more motor vehicle accidents. This imposes a cost on people who do not drink and drive. What is the deadweight loss in the market for alcohol?

Question 41

Which of the following statements about corrective taxes is presented as a reason they are often preferred over regulations?

Question 42

If two factories can trade pollution permits, a factory for which reducing pollution is very expensive will likely:

Question 43

Senator Edmund Muskie's comment, 'We cannot give anyone the option of polluting for a fee,' represents a viewpoint that is critical of which approach to pollution?

Question 44

How do private markets with externalities compare to the social optimum?

Question 45

The example of a barking dog creating a negative externality for a neighbor falls under which category of solution if the neighbors agree on a payment for the dog to be quieted?

Question 46

The Club, a steering wheel lock, makes a car harder to steal. LoJack, a tracking system, makes it easier for police to catch a car thief. Which of these creates a positive externality for other car owners?

Question 48

If a steel mill has a high cost of reducing pollution and a paper mill has a low cost, and they can trade pollution permits, what is the likely outcome?

Question 49

What is the economic argument against the idea that clean air and water are fundamental rights that should be protected regardless of cost?

Question 50

In the case of a market with a positive externality, a benevolent social planner would choose a quantity where: