In 2019, the country of Cheeseling was suffering from a period of high unemployment. The new president, Chad Cheddar, appointed Merry Parmesan as his chief economist.

Ms. Parmesan and her staff estimated these supply and demand curves for labor from data obtained from the secretary of labor, Sore Mozzarella:

Q_D = 190 - 6W

Q_S = 10W - 18

where Q is the quantity of labor supplied/demanded and W is the wage rate in strings, the currency of Cheeseling.

a. What is the equilibrium wage? How many workers are employed?

b. Assume that Sore Mozzarella wants to introduce a law that says that no worker shall be paid less than 16 strings per hour. Estimate the quantity of labor supplied and the number of unemployed.

c. How can you justify this minimum wage for the economy of Cheeseling?