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Macroeconomics
Posted 7 months ago

The market for electricity in Frankland is a natural monopoly. The government of Frankland wants to regulate Gator Lighting and Power, the sole producer of electricity in Frankland. The government wants to set a price that eliminates deadweight loss and will provide the firm with a subsidy if necessary. The firm's cost curves and demand are shown here.

What price should the government set to eliminate deadweight loss?

Choose 1 answer:
(A) P3P_{3}
(B) P1P_{1}
(C) P2P_{2}
(D) There is no price that eliminates deadweight loss.
() P4P_{4}
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Answer from Sia
Posted 7 months ago
Solution
a
Identifying the Efficient Scale of Production: The efficient scale of production is where the Marginal Cost (MC) curve intersects the Average Total Cost (ATC) curve. This point minimizes the average cost per unit of output
b
Determining the Socially Optimal Price: To eliminate deadweight loss in a natural monopoly, the government should set the price equal to the Marginal Cost (MC) at the quantity where the Demand curve (D) intersects the MC curve. This is the socially optimal price and quantity, where P=MCP = MC and consumer surplus is maximized
c
Analyzing the Graph: The graph shows that the socially optimal quantity is at Q2Q2, where the MC curve intersects the Demand curve (D). The corresponding price level on the vertical axis is P2P2
Answer
(C) P2P_{2}
Key Concept
Socially Optimal Pricing in Natural Monopolies
Explanation
To eliminate deadweight loss in a natural monopoly, the government should set the price where the demand curve intersects the marginal cost curve, ensuring that price equals marginal cost.

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