--%>

Problem on competitive equilibrium economy

The economy consists of an equal number of smokers (S-types) and asthma sufferers (A-types). Good 1 is cigarettes, good 2 is “other stuff.” S-types have the utility function:

xS1 + xS2

where xS1 is the S-type’s consumption of cigarettes and xS2 is the S-type’s consumption of other stuff. A-types have the utility function

xA2 -  2¯xS1

where ¯ xS1 is the per capita consumption of cigarettes of S-types.

The initial endowments are as follows: S-types have one unit of both goods and A-types have 2 units good 2 and no endowment of good 1.

(i) Is there an efficient consumption plan in which S-types consume cigarettes?
(ii) Find a competitive equilibrium of this economy. Show that it is not efficient.

E

Expert

Verified

i) Consumer 1 has perfect substitute type of utility function .Now they will consume cigarettes only when P1<P2. Now P2 being 1 (numeraire).The consumption plan in which person 1 consumes cigarettes is the one where p1<1

ii) This is the externality case type of utility function for person 2. In which we solve the competitive equilibrium normally without externality and then tell that it is inefficient

Now U1= x1+x2 (1,1)
U2=  x2 (1,0)

Budget constraint for person 1:

P1x1 +p2x2= p1(1) + p2(1)

Put p2=1

P1x1 + x2= p1 + 1

Also for person 2 we have

P1x1 +X2= P1

Now we know person 1 has perfect substitutes requirement and peson 2 demands just good 2

So prices should be such that P1<p2  so that person 1 demands only good 1
So Putting x2*=0

We get:
P1X1= p1+1
X1* =1/p1-1

Now X1 in economy= 2

So, 1/p1-1 =2 P1= 3/2 >1 so it contradicts our assumption and we have to take p1=p2=1

Now put P1=p2=1 in budget constraint we get:

X1+x2=1
X1+ x2=1

From both the budget constraints this means any combination that satisfies this requirement will be competitive equilibrium. These are not efficient because there is an externality case involved plus there is no equality between MRS.

   Related Questions in Microeconomics

  • Q : Goods produced and sold in the US Who

    Who decides what goods services will be produced and were sold in the US?

  • Q : Profit-maximizing to make economic

    This profit-maximizing brickyard of below illustrated figure on the average is, about: (i) making an economic profit of $8 per thousand bricks. (ii) incurring variable costs of $90 per thousand bricks. (iii) suffering an accounting loss of $2 per thou

  • Q : Resource market in equilibrium demand

    When the resource market shown in this illustrated figure is initially within equilibrium along with demand curve D0: (w) owners of these resources currently receive no economic rents. (x) economic rent is specified by area

  • Q : Problem on price elasticity The firm’s

    The firm’s net revenue grows whenever the price of a good is cut when the price elasticity of: (i) Demand surpass the price elasticity of supply. (ii) Replacement goods are less than one. (iii) Supply is in an associatively elastic range. (iv) D

  • Q : Present Value of Capitalization The

    The present value of $1000 two years by now is: (w) $1000. (x) greater than $1000. (y) less than the present value of $1000 one year by currently. (z) $1,210. Hey friends please give your opinion for the problem of Economics that i

  • Q : Employed Currency in 1700s In 1700s

    In 1700s what currency was employed?

  • Q : Market power and inefficiency The

    The widespread and unregulated exercise of monopoly power is probable to result within: (1) economic inefficiency because price exceeds marginal cost. (2) the value of national income being higher than under competition. (3) a politically more accepta

  • Q : Pretax -posttax and transfer

    Refer to the following diagram. If line b represents the pretax and transfer distribution of income in the United States, we would expect the post-tax and transfer distribution to be: A) line a. B) line b, because taxes and transfers have no effect on income distribut

  • Q : Define the income elasticity of demand

    The income elasticity of demand is a measure of the: (w) relative responsiveness of quantity demanded to changes within income. (x) absolute change within demand yielded by an absolute change within income. (y) slope of the income-consumption curve. (

  • Q : Recommendation of data on poverty Data

    Data on poverty into the United States recommend that the: (w) sex of the head of the family is unrelated to the poverty rate. (x) race of the head of the family is unrelated to the poverty rate. (y) families headed by African-American or Hispanic wom