b) Externalities

during market failure

  • goods and services that produce positive externalities of consumption are under-consumed

  • goods and services that produce negative externalities of consumption are over-consumed

  • goods and services that produce positive externalities of production are under-produced

  • goods and services that produce negative externalities of production are over-produced

marginal social cost = the cost to society produced by the consumption or production of one unit of a good or service

marginal private cost = the cost paid by firms to produce or the cost paid by consumers to consume one unit of a good or service

marginal social benefit = the benefit to society produced by the consumption or production of one unit of a good or service

marginal private benefit = the profit earned bt firms from producing or the utility earned by consumers from consuming one unit of a good or service

welfare loss = the decrease in the productive efficiency of the economy due to a misallocation of resources

welfare gain = the increase in the productive efficiency of the economy due to an optimum allocation of resources