Two types of consumers (workers and retirees) share a community with a polluting cheese factory. The pollution is nonrival and nonexcludable. The total damage to workers is p² where p is the amount of pollution and the total damage to retirees is 3p². Thus marginal damage to workers is 2p and marginal damage to retirees is 6p. According to an analysis by consulting engineers, the cheese factory saves 20p - p² by polluting p, for a marginal savings of 20 - 2p. a. Find the aggregate (including both types of consumers) marginal damage for the public bad. b. Graph the marginal savings and aggregate marginal damage curves with pollu- tion on the horizontal axis. C. How much will the cheese factory pollute in the absence of any regulation or bargaining? What is this society's optimal level of pollution?

Two types of consumers (workers and retirees) share a community with a polluting cheese factory. The pollution is nonrival and nonexcludable. The total damage to workers is p² where p is the amount of pollution and the total damage to retirees is 3p². Thus marginal damage to workers is 2p and marginal damage to retirees is 6p. According to an analysis by consulting engineers, the cheese factory saves 20p - p² by polluting p, for a marginal savings of 20 - 2p. a. Find the aggregate (including both types of consumers) marginal damage for the public bad. b. Graph the marginal savings and aggregate marginal damage curves with pollu- tion on the horizontal axis. C. How much will the cheese factory pollute in the absence of any regulation or bargaining? What is this society's optimal level of pollution?

Principles of Microeconomics

7th Edition

ISBN:9781305156050

Author:N. Gregory Mankiw

Publisher:N. Gregory Mankiw

Chapter10: Externalities

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 5PA

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