Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

Smoking at Ike's Bar-B-Q Pit As of 2019 two-thirds of the population of the United States, about 200 million people, lived in areas that had

Smoking at Ike's Bar-B-Q Pit As of 2019 two-thirds of the population of the United States, about 200 million people, lived in areas that had passed smoke-free laws for their restaurants and bars. Ike's Bar-B-Q Pit is located in an area that still allows patrons and bars and restaurants to smoke. Some of Ike's nonsmoking customers, including some who suffer from asthma, have asked Ike to adopt a no-smoking rule for his restaurant. But some of Ike's other customers complained that they have smoked in the restaurant for years and would no longer patronize his Bar-B-Q Pit if the no-smoking rule were adopted. Ike is worried because he does not wish to lose business from either his smoking or nonsmoking customers. Draw a graph illustrating the externality associated with smoking in Ike's Bar-B-Q Pit and explain how this externality causes a deviation from economic efficiency in this market. Hint: Tobacco smoke is a negative externality and imposes negative costs on nonsmokers. Follow the following steps to solve the problem: Step 1: Review the chapter material. This problem is about externalities, so you may want to review the section "Externalities and Economic Efficiency" in the textbook. Step 2: Draw a graph to illustrate the externality at Ike's Bar-B-Q Pit. This is a negative externality because there are external costs imposed on Ike's nonsmoking customers as a result of breathing second-hand smoke. These are costs that neither Ike nor his smoking customers have to pay. Step 3: Describe how the externality causes a deviation from economic efficiency. The economically efficient outcome is for the quantity of meals served at Ike's restaurant to be Q2 and the price of the meals to be P2. (Ike's has a varied menu with different meals with different prices. To simplify this problem, assume P2 is an average meal price.) This outcome would be economically efficient because it is where the market supply curve that represents social costs, including the negative health effects on nonsmokers, crosses the demand curve. At this point, the marginal benefit from Ike's meals would equal the marginal social cost. However, because neither Ike nor his smoking patrons have to pay for the negative externality, the market supply curve represents only private costs. As a result, the equilibrium market price and quantity are P1 and Q1; the marginal social cost from Ike's meals exceeds the marginal benefit. Instructions:

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image_2

Step: 3

blur-text-image_3

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Managers And The Legal Environment

Authors: E. Bagley

9th Edition

1337555177, 978-1337555173

More Books

Students also viewed these Economics questions

Question

What factors affect the steepness of the AS curve?

Answered: 1 week ago

Question

What three primary financial problems cause firms to fail?

Answered: 1 week ago

Question

What is the biggest strength of the program?

Answered: 1 week ago

Question

Be relaxed at the hips

Answered: 1 week ago