AP Microeconomics 2.8: Government Intervention
Analyze how price and quantity controls, taxes, and subsidies change incentives, market outcomes, government finances, and efficiency.
- Syllabus
- Effective Fall 2025
- Course
- AP Microeconomics
Analyze how price and quantity controls, taxes, and subsidies change incentives, market outcomes, government finances, and efficiency.
Deskward is a typical profit-maximizing firm that produces and sells wooden desks in a
constant-cost, perfectly competitive market that is in long-run equilibrium.
Suppose the government is considering granting a per-unit subsidy to producers of wooden
desks. On your market graph in part A, show the short-run effect of a per-unit subsidy on
each of the following.
The new market equilibrium price and quantity of wooden desks, labeled P* and Q*,
respectively
C (i) Point 6 & The market graph from part A must show a rightward shift of the market supply curve and show the new market equilibrium price of wooden desks, labeled P*, and the new market equilibrium quantity of wooden desks, labeled Q*.
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The area representing the total cost of the subsidy to the government, shaded completely
| Point 7 | The market graph from part A must show the area representing the total cost of the subsidy to the government, shaded completely.![]() | 1 point |
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Instead of the per-unit subsidy, suppose the government imposes a binding price floor in the
market for wooden desks. Will the price floor result in a shortage of wooden desks, a surplus
of wooden desks, or neither? Explain.
| D Point 8 | State that the price floor will result in a surplus of wooden desks and explain that the binding price floor is set above the market equilibrium price, which causes the quantity supplied of wooden desks to be greater than the quantity demanded of wooden desks. | 1 point |
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