1. Provide two economic motives justifying government involvement in education. Explain each.
2. Provide at least one economic motive justifying government NONinvolvement in education. Explain.
3. Consider two polluting firms, with marginal costs of pollution reduction:
MCA = 10R
MCB = 4R
The marginal damage of a unit of pollution is 200; the firms are current emitting 100 units of pollution.
(a) Protester demand these firms ceased all pollution immediately, since they harming the environment. In what sense are the protesters correct? In what sense are they wrong?
(b) What is the optimal amount of reduction?
(c) What is the optimal emissions fee to achieve this outcome?
(d) What is the optimal cap for a cap and trade system?
4. Suppose that the State of Washington (that is, the median voter in Washington) has the following preferences of Education E and other goods G:
U(G, E) = α ln G + (1 − α) ln E
The price of education is PE; the price of other goods is 1; the state’s total budget is W
(a) How many units of Education will Washington provide?
(b) What fraction of the budget will be spent on Education - write this as a function of PE and α, and W
(c) Illustrate this graphically
The Federal Government is concerned about the quality of education in Washington, so they are considering a Grant program. First, they are considering a Matching Grant, that will give the 1 dollar for each dollar they spend on Education.
(a) What is the “effective” price of education under this program?
(b) What is likely to happen to the level E that Washington chooses? Will there be an income effect, a substitution effect, or both?
(c) Illustrate the new situation graphically.
(d) Solve for the new amount of spending mathematically. How much does E rise, and how much does state spending (prematch) fall?
The other possible Grant program is a Block Grant, equivalent is size to the dollars transferred until the matching grant in the previous exercise.
(a) What is the “effective” price of education under this program? Will there be an income effect, a substitution effect, or both?
(b) Solve mathematically for the new level E that Washington will choose.
(c) Explain any difference between the level E you found for this program, and the level you found for the Matching Grant.
Which program would you recommend?