True or false: A price at or above the price floor is illegal.
False; prices below the floor are illegal, not at or above.
Price ceilings and price floors that are binding have what effect?
They cause shortages (ceilings) or surpluses (floors) and deadweight loss.
Price ceilings are designed to benefit whom?
They are designed to benefit consumers.
Prices tend to be sticky because of what?
Institutional factors, contracts, and regulations can make prices slow to adjust.
The imposition of a price ceiling on a market often results in what?
It often results in shortages and black markets.
For a price ceiling to be a binding constraint on the market, the government must set it where?
It must be set below the equilibrium price.
Price ceilings are designed to benefit whom?
They are designed to benefit consumers.
The graph below represents the textbook market. Calculate the surplus caused by the price floor.
Surplus is the difference between quantity supplied and quantity demanded at the price floor.
What is an example of a government policy that uses a price ceiling, and how does it typically affect the market?
Rent control is a common example; it usually leads to shortages as more people want to rent at the lower price, but fewer landlords are willing to supply apartments.
How do rationing coupons function in markets with price ceilings?
Rationing coupons allow consumers to buy a limited quantity of a good at the government-set price, helping to allocate scarce goods during shortages caused by price ceilings.