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...
