Part II: Short problems In standard economics, markets are always in balance (equilibrium), meaning that in a market where prices can be easily adjusted, there are never any shortages. But this is not always rue, e.g., hardware stores often face a shortage of snow shovels the day after a blizzard.
Part II: Short problems In standard economics, markets are always in balance (equilibrium), meaning that in a market where prices can be easily adjusted, there are never any shortages. But this is not always rue, e.g., hardware stores often face a shortage of snow shovels the day after a blizzard.
Chapter1: Making Economics Decisions
Section: Chapter Questions
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Transcribed Image Text:Question 6
Part II: Short problems
In standard economics, markets are always in balance (equilibrium), meaning that in a
market where prices can be easily adjusted, there are never any shortages. But this is not always
true, e.g., hardware stores often face a shortage of snow shovels the day after a blizzard.
To understand why this happens, a survey was conducted with the following question:
"A hardware store has been selling snow shovels for $15. The morning after a large snowstorm, the
store raises the price to $20. Please rate this action as:
Acceptable, or, Unfair"
In this example, 82 percent of respondents (N=107) considered it unfair for the hardware store to
take advantage of the short-run increase in demand associated with a blizzard. A majority of store-
owners explained they already understood this, and this constrained their pricing behavior.
If you believe in rationality, would you see anything wrong with this response? How can you use
this response to explain the existence of 'shortages'?
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