Asked by Isaiah Perez on May 23, 2024

verifed

Verified

Suppose a government sets the price for a natural monopoly at the competitive level such that P = MC. To keep the seller from taking a loss under this policy, the government could provide a lump-sum payment to the firm. How could we determine this payment?

A) Multiply the competitive quantity by the competitive marginal cost
B) Multiply the competitive quantity by the regulated price
C) Multiply the competitive quantity by the difference between MC and AC
D) Multiply the difference in the competitive and monopoly quantities by AC

Lump-Sum Payment

A single payment made at a particular time, as opposed to multiple payments over time.

Natural Monopoly

A market condition where a single firm can supply a product or service to an entire market at a lower cost than what two or more firms can, often due to significant fixed or startup costs.

Competitive Level

Refers to the state of competition within a market where firms strive to gain an advantage over each other.

  • Comprehend the economic justification behind governmental interference in natural monopolies.
  • Apply economic theory to recommend regulatory policies for monopolies.
verifed

Verified Answer

FC
fernando caballeroMay 26, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
The lump-sum payment needed to cover the firm's losses when price is set to marginal cost (P = MC) in a natural monopoly can be determined by multiplying the competitive quantity by the difference between marginal cost (MC) and average cost (AC). This difference represents the loss per unit, and multiplying it by the quantity gives the total amount needed to cover losses.