levo

Microeconomics: The Role of Markets

Market failure and marginal social cost and benefit

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 01

Overview

Recall questions on market failure and its causes, externalities, marginal private, external and social costs and benefits, and the socially optimum level of output.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Evaluation

Define market failure.

Evaluation

Define marginal external benefit, and state how it relates to marginal social benefit.

Key term

What are three causes of market failure?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define market failure.

    Model answer

    A situation in which the free market allocates resources inefficiently, so social welfare is not maximised.

  2. 2

    What are three causes of market failure?

    Model answer

    Externalities, information failure and the non-provision of public goods.

  3. 3

    What is an externality?

    Model answer

    A cost or benefit arising from an economic activity that falls on a third party who is not part of the transaction.

  4. 4

    Define marginal private cost.

    Model answer

    The cost borne by the producer or consumer directly involved in producing or consuming one more unit.

  5. 5

    Define marginal external cost.

    Model answer

    The cost imposed on third parties by the production or consumption of one more unit.

  6. 6

    State the relationship between marginal social cost, marginal private cost and marginal external cost.

    Model answer

    Marginal social cost equals marginal private cost plus marginal external cost.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Introduction to Microeconomics
Microeconomics: The Role of Markets
Microeconomics: Business Objectives
Microeconomics: Market Structures

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

An of demand.
extensionincreaseelasticity

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AAt 0% nothing is levied at all.
BAt 100% there is no reward left for the taxed activity.
CThe activity ceases and there is nothing to tax.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Economic growth means an increase in real output over a period.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Microeconomics: The Role of Markets, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.