Suppose that there are two goods, X and Y, that are competing for dominance in a
market with network externalities.Furthermore, suppose that the market has chosen
good X even though it is inferior to good Y and that the net benefits of switching from
X to Y are $20 while the costs of switching are $30.If the market stays with good X,
then __________________ has occurred.If the costs of switching were to fall to $15
and the market still stays with good X then ___________________________.
a. no market failure; market failure has occurred.
b. market failure; no market failure has occurred.
c. no market failure; there will still be no market failure.
d. market failure; there will still be market failure.
Suppose farmers get together and decide to be less productive. They want to do this so
that they can shift the supply curve of farm products leftward and raise the price. What
are the thoughts of a profit-maximizing farmer most likely to be once this agreement
has been made?
a. If I break the agreement while everyone else holds to it, I can make myself better off.
b. I am happy that we decided to be unproductive; I can’t be unproductive by myself.
c. I will definitely hold to the agreement.
d. Everyone will break the agreement but me.