Deregulation involves removing government legislation and laws in a particular market. Deregulation often refers to removing barriers to competition. For example, in the UK, many industries used to be a state monopoly – BT, British Gas, British Rail, local bus services, Royal Mail. However, deregulation allowed new firms to enter these markets and reduce the …
Agglomeration economies or external economies of scale refer to the benefits from concentrating output and housing in particular areas. If an area specialises in the production of a certain type of good, all firms can benefit from various factors such as: Good supply networks Supply of trained workers Infrastructure built specifically for the industry Good …
From an economic perspective, the EU can be criticised for various reasons including Common agricultural policy (CAP) Regulated labour markets – higher structural rates of unemployment Deflationary bias of ECB Problems of Euro Problems of free movement of labour Common Agricultural Policy CAP The CAP was one of the most inefficient economic policies and a …
The infant industry argument states that developing countries are justified to put tariffs on imports if they are seeking to develop new industries and diversify their economy. In particular, there is a justification for placing tariffs on industries where a country has a latent comparative advantage. This means that if they can develop infrastructure and economies …
Limit Pricing is a pricing strategy a monopolist may use to discourage entry. If a monopolist set its profit maximising price (where MR=MC) the level of supernormal profit would be so high it attracts new firms into the market. Limit pricing involves reducing the price sufficiently to deter entry. It leads to less profit than …
Readers Question: what are the benefits and costs of a tariff on consumers, producers, employment levels and the government? The effect of tariffs on consumers Tariffs increase the cost of imports, leading to higher prices (P1 to P2) for consumers and a decline in consumer surplus. For example, UK consumers have lost out from EU …
The 1930s economy was marked by the effects of the great depression. After experiencing a decade of economic stagnation in the 1920s, the UK economy was further hit by the sharp global economic downturn in 1930-31. This lead to higher unemployment and widespread poverty. However, although the great depression caused significant levels of poverty and …
Explanation of why government intervention to try and correct market failure may result in government failure. Summary Market failure is a socially inefficient allocation of resources in a free market. Market failure can occur for various reasons Externalities Demerit/merit goods Public goods Monopoly power Government failure occurs when government intervention results in a more inefficient …