--%>
Assignment Help - homework help

Question on lowering the supply

The Reagan Administration introduced new agricultural program named as the Payment-in-Kind Program, in the year of 1983. In order to distinguish how the program worked, let's assume the wheat market. Now assume the government desire to lower the supply of wheat by 25 percent from the free-market equilibrium by paying farmers to withdraw land from production. Though, the payment is made in wheat instead of in dollars--hence the name of the program. The wheat comes from the government's vast reserves that resulted from previous price-support programs. The amount of wheat paid is equivalent to the amount which could have been harvested on the land withdrawn from production. Farmers are free to sell this wheat on the market. How much is produced by farmers now? How much is supplied indirectly to the market by the government? What is the new market price? How much do the farmers gain? Do consumers gain or lose?
Since the free market supply by farmers is 20 billion bushels, the 25 percent reduction needed by the new Payment-In-Kind (PIK) Program would imply that the farmers now generate 15 billion bushels. To encourage farmers to withdraw their land from cultivation, the government have to give them 5 billion bushels, which they sell on the market.
Since the total supply to the market is still 20 billion bushels, the market price does not change; this remains at $4 per bushel. The farmers gain $20 billion, equal to ($4)(5 billion bushels), from the PIK Program, since they incur no costs in supplying the wheat (which they received from the government) to the market. The PIK program does not influence consumers in the wheat market, since they purchase the similar amount at the same price as they did in the free market case.

   Related Questions in Microeconomics

  • Q : Maximizing profit by hiring labor The

    The firm maximizes profit by hiring the labor at a point where labor’s: (i) Marginal physical product equal its average physical product. (ii) Marginal revenue product equivalents its marginal resource cost. (iii) Rate of exploitation is maximum. (iv) Wage rate

    		•
  • Q : Short-run and long-run average total

    A firm generating where MC = SRAC = LRAC operates at the minimum point of its: (w) short-run and long-run average total cost curves. (x) long-run total cost curve. (y) total physical product of labor curve. (z) maximum profit curve.

    Q : Define opportunity cost Opportunity

    Opportunity cost: The Opportunity cost refers to the cost of next best alternative inevitable.

    		•
  • Q : Supply curves toward right from

    Technological progress shift: (i) Demand curves up and to right. (ii) Production possibilities curve in the direction of their origins. (iii) Prices into inflationary spiral. (iv) Supply curves rightward from vertical axis. Can som

    		•
  • Q : Impact of economy according to price

    If price ceiling or price floor were removed what is the impact on the economy?

    		•
  • Q : Should third World limit pollution ‘In

    ‘In developing countries there are some controls on aspects of pollution like exhaust fumes. How would you evaluate whether these countries, from their point of view, must invoke legislation to enhance the atmosphere in these respects?’

    		•
  • Q : Bargaining situation of Asymmetric

    Whenever two parties encompass unequal levels of knowledge regarding issues in the bargaining situation: (i) Potential abuses of the asymmetric information exist. (ii) The payoff matrix is invariably asymmetric. (iii) The more knowledgeable negotiator will profit from

    		•
  • Q : Disadvantage of sole proprietorships

    The disadvantage of both sole partnerships and proprietorships is that the: (i) Financial resources are generally more restricted than for a corporation. (ii) Income is subject to the double taxation. (iii) Principal-agent troubles are far less simple

    		•
  • Q : Supply in short-run equilibrium When a

    When a purely competitive industry is within short-run equilibrium, this: (w) should also be in long-run equilibrium. (x) won’t be in long-run equilibrium. (y) may or may not be within long-run equilibrium. (z) will experience m

    		•
  • Q : Prices and outputs in the short run All

    All output markets which are less than purely competitive are characterized through: (1) domination of the market by some large firms. (2) individual firms that are very small to affect their prices. (3) freedom of entry and exit in the long run. (4)

    		•