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Naked Economics. Undressing the Dismal Science. Who feeds Paris?. What is GDP?. Why is it a good measure? Why is it NOT a good measure?. What is price discrimination?. Airplane ticket prices. Do incentives matter?. What is the “superstar phenomenon”?. What is creative destruction?.
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Naked Economics Undressing the Dismal Science
What is GDP? • Why is it a good measure? • Why is it NOT a good measure?
What is price discrimination? • Airplane ticket prices
What is creative destruction? • Who loses out most often?
What are the two basic assumptions that economists make about individuals and firms? • Self-interested • Rational
Role of prices in the market economy? • determining an efficient distribution of resources in a market system. • signal for shortages and surpluses which help firms respond to changing market conditions
Advantage of market economy? • Allocative efficiency • The best available model • BUT . . . (market failures)
Adverse selection • When you do business with people you would be better off avoiding. Adverse selection can be a problem when there is asymmetric information between the seller of insurance and the buyer • “What you don’t know CAN hurt you”?
Informational asymmetry • transactions where one party has more or better information than the other. • E.g. – buying a used car, life insurance (adverse selection)
Perverse incentives • an unintended and undesirable result which is contrary to the interests of the incentive makers • E.g. car seats on airplanes
Principal-Agent problem • principal–agent problem or agency dilemma concerns the difficulties in motivating one party (the "agent"), to act on behalf of another (the "principal"). • E.g. corporate management (agent) and shareholders (principal), fast food employees
prisoner's dilemma • example of a game that shows why two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so • Ac, Bc – 1 year, 1 year • Ac, Bs – 0 , 2 years • As, Bc – 2 years, 0 • As, Bs – 3 months, 3 months
What is an externality? • is a cost or benefit that is not transmitted through prices, and is incurred by a party who was not involved in the transaction. • negative externality – pollution from a factory • positive externality – fire department
Role of Government • Stability • legal framework • Protection of property rights • Protection of contracts
What is a public good? • Examples