均衡价格理论的应用VIP专享VIP免费

3.3均衡价格理论的应用微观经济学的核心是要论证通过价格机制能够对社会经济自发地做出合理的调节，事实上价格机制的调节作用并不像理论上所讲的那样完善，比如某些生活必须品严重短缺时，价格会大幅度提高，在此价格水平上，收入水平低的家庭便难以维持最低水平的生活，从而不利于社会稳定。因而政府有必要通过制定价格政策来克服这些副作用。政府常用的价格政策主要有限制价格和支持价格政策。一、限制价格MaximumpriceApriceceilingsetbythegovernmentorsomeotheragency.Thepriceisnotallowedtoriseabovethislevel(althoughitisallowedtofallbelowit).RationingWherethegovernmentrestrictstheamountofagoodthatpeopleareallowedtobuy.Thegovernmentmaysetmaximumpricestopreventthemfromrisingaboveacertainlevel.Thiswillnormallybedoneforreasonsoffairness.Inwartime,ortimesoffamine,thegovernmentmaysetmaximumpricesforbasicgoodssothatpoorpeoplecanaffordtobuythem.Theresultingshortages,however,createfurtherproblems.Ifthegovernmentmerelysetspricesanddoesnotintervenefurther,theshortageswillleadtothefollowing:Allocationona‘firstcome,firstserve’basis.Firmsdecidingwhichcustomersshouldbeallowedtobuy:forexample,givingpreferencetoregularcustomers.Neitheroftheabovemaybeconsideredfair.Certainneedypeoplemaybeforcedtogowithout.Therefore,thegovernmentmayadoptasystemofrationing.Peoplecouldbeissuedwithasetnumberofcouponsforeachitemrationed.Amajorproblemwithmaximumpricesislikelytobetheemergenceofblackmarkets,wherecustomers,unabletobuyenoughinlegalmarkets,maywellbepreparedtopayveryhighprices.Anotherproblemisthatthemaximumpricesreducethequantityproducedofanalreadyscarcecommodity.Tominimizethesetypesofproblemthegovernmentmayattempttoreducetheshortagebyencouragingsupply:bydrawingonstores,bydirectgovernmentproduction,orbygivingsubsidiesortaxrelieftofirms.Alternatively,itmayattempttoreducedemand:bytheproductionofmorealternativegoodsorbycontrollingpeople’sincomes.MinimumpriceApricefloorsetbythegovernmentorsomeotheragency.Thepriceisnotallowedtofallbelowthislevel(althoughitisallowedtoriseaboveit).BlackmarketsWherepeopleignorethegovernment’spriceand/orquantitycontrolsandsellillegallyatwhateverpriceequatesillegaldemandandsupply.Thegovernmentsetsminimumpricestopreventthemfromfallingbelowacertainlevel.Itmaydothisforvariousreasons:Toprotectproducers’incomes.Tocreateasurplus,e.g.grains.Particularinperiodsofglut,whichcanbestoredinpreparationforpossiblefutureshortages.Inthecaseofwages(thepriceoflabor),minimumwagelegislationscanbeusedtopreventworkers’wageratesfromfallingbelowacertainlevel.Thegovernmentcanusevariousmethodstodealwiththesurplusesassociatedwithminimumprices.Thegovernmentcouldbuythesurplusandstoreit,destroyitorsellitabroadinanothermarkets.Supplycouldbeartificiallyloweredbyrestrictingproducerstoparticularquotas.Demandcouldberaisedbyadvertising,byfindingalternativeusesforthegoods,orbyreducingconsumptionofsubstitutegoods(e.g.byimposingtaxesorquotasonsubstitutes,suchasimports).Oneoftheproblemswithminimumpricesisthatfirmswithsurplusesontheirhandsmaytrytoevadethepricecontrolandcuttheirprices.Anotherproblemisthathighpricesmaycushioninefficiency.FirmsmayfeellessneedtofindmoreefficientmethodsofproductionandtocuttheircostsifEo0QDQoQSQPPoP1图3-5限制价格及结果DoSo供给不足theirprofitsarebeingprotectedbythehighprice.Alsothehighpricemaydiscouragefirmsfromproducingalternativegoodswhichtheycouldproducemoreefficientlyorwhichareinhigherdemand,butwh...