平狄克《微观经济学》课后答案 1

PART I

INTRODUCTION

MICROECONOMICS AND MARKETS

CHAPTER 1

PRELIMINARIES

The first two chapters reacquaint students with the microeconomics that they learned in their introductory course: Chapter 1 focuses on the general subject of economics, while Chapter 2 develops supply and demand analysis. The distinction between competitive and non-competitive markets provides an overview of the course. We assume competitive markets in Parts I and II (through Chapter 9), then discuss market power in Part III and its consequences in Part IV.

The use of examples in Chapter 1 facilitates students’ complete understanding of abstract economic concepts. Examples in this chapter discuss models of unemployment (Section 1.2), introduction of a new automobile (Section 1.3), design of automobile emission standards (Section 1.3), and real and nominal prices of eggs and education (Section 1.5).

Review Question (3) illustrates the difference between positive and normative economics and provides for a productive class discussion. Other examples for discussion are available in Kearl, Pope, Whiting, and Wimmer, “A Confusion of Economists,” American Economic Review (May 1979).

The chapter concludes with a discussion of real and nominal prices. Given our reliance on dollar prices in the chapters that follow, students should understand that we are concerned with prices relative to a standard, which in this case is dollars for a particular year.

1. What is the difference between a market and an industry? Are there interactions among firms in different industries that you might describe as taking place within a single market?

An industry represents a collection of suppliers operating in a particular market. Many

industries may participate in a given market. For example, the food market brings

together suppliers from the beef, dairy, and grain industries, distributors providing

services, manufacturers of packaged foods, restaurants selling prepared foods, and

consumers.

2. It is often said that a good theory is one that can, in principle, be refuted by an empirical, data-oriented study. Explain why a theory that cannot be evaluated empirically is not a good theory.

There are two steps in evaluating a theory: first, you should examine the reasonability

o f the theory’s assumptions; second, you should test the theory’s predictions by

comparing them with facts. If a theory cannot be tested, it cannot be accepted or

rejected. Therefore, it contributes little to our understanding of reality.

3. Which of the following two statements involves positive economic analysis and which normative? How do the two kinds of analysis differ?

a. Gasoline rationing (allocating each year to each individual an annual maximum

amount of gasoline that can be purchased) is a poor social policy because it interferes with the workings of the competitive market system.

b. Gasoline rationing is a policy under which more people are made worse off than are

made better off.