Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between consumer surplus and willingness to pay in the context of product pricing?
A
Consumer surplus is maximized when the price is set below the consumer's willingness to pay.
B
Willingness to pay is always equal to the market price.
C
Consumer surplus increases as the price rises above the consumer's willingness to pay.
D
Consumer surplus is unrelated to the difference between willingness to pay and price.
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검증된 단계별 안내
1
Step 1: Understand the concept of willingness to pay (WTP), which is the maximum amount a consumer is ready to pay for a good or service.
Step 2: Define consumer surplus as the difference between the consumer's willingness to pay and the actual market price paid, expressed as \(\text{Consumer Surplus} = \text{WTP} - \text{Price}\).
Step 3: Analyze how consumer surplus changes when the price is set below the willingness to pay, noting that the consumer gains surplus equal to the difference between WTP and price.
Step 4: Consider what happens if the price equals or exceeds the willingness to pay: if price equals WTP, consumer surplus is zero; if price exceeds WTP, consumer surplus becomes negative or zero because the consumer would not buy the product.
Step 5: Conclude that consumer surplus is maximized when the price is set below the consumer's willingness to pay, as this creates a positive difference between WTP and price, increasing the consumer's net benefit.