Essential Graphs for Microeconomics

Basic Economic Concepts

Production Possibilities Curve
Good X

Concepts:

Points on the curve-efficient

Points inside the curve-inefficient
Points outside the curve-unattainable
with available resources
Gains in technology or resources
favoring one good both not other.

C
D

E
Good Y

Nature & Functions of Product Markets

Demand and Supply: Market clearing equilibrium
P

Variations:
Shifts in demand and supply caused by
changes in determinants
Changes in slope caused by changes in
elasticity
Effect of Quotas and Tariffs

Pe

D
Qe

Floors and Ceilings

P

Pe

Pe
D
QD

Qe

QS

Floor
Creates surplus
Qd<Qs

D
Q

QS

Qe

QD

Ceiling
Creates shortage
Qd>Qs

Consumer and Producer Surplus

P
S

Consumer
surplus

Pe
Producer
surplus

D
Qe

Effect of Taxes
A tax imposed on the SELLER-supply
curve moves left
elasticity determines whether buyer
or seller bears incidence of tax
shaded area is amount of tax
connect the dots to find the triangle
of deadweight or efficiency loss.

A tax imposed on the BUYER-demand

curve moves left
elasticity determines whether buyer or
seller bears incidence of tax
shaded area is amount of tax
connect the dots to find the triangle
of deadweight or efficiency loss.
Price
buyers
pay

Price
buyers
pay

Price
w/o
tax

Price
sellers
receive

D2
Q

S2
S1

Price
w/o
tax

D1

Price
sellers
receive

D1
Q

Theory of the Firm

Short Run Cost
P/C

MC

ATC
AVC

AFC
Q

AFC declines as output increases

AVC and ATC declines initially, then
reaches a minimum then increases (Ushaped)
MC declines sharply, reaches a
minimum, the rises sharply
MC intersects with AVC and ATC at
minimum points
When MC> ATC, ATC is falling
When MC< ATC, ATC is rising
There is no relationship between MC and
AFC

Long Run Cost

ATC
Economies
of Scale

Diseconomies
of Scale

Constant
Returns
to Scale

Perfectly Competitive Product Market Structure

Long run equilibrium for the market and firm-price takers
Allocative and productive efficiency at P=MR=MC=min ATC

MC

Pe

MR=D=AR=P

Pe

D
Qe

Qe

Variations:
Short run profits, losses and shutdown cases caused by shifts in market demand and
supply.

Imperfectly Competitive Product Market Structure: Pure Monopoly

Single price monopolist
(price maker)
Earning economic profit
MC

Natural Regulated Monopoly

Selling at Fair return ( Qfr at Pfr)
MC

ATC

Pm

ATC

PFR
D
Q

MR

PSO
Q

D
Qm

QFR QSO
MR

Imperfectly Competitive Product Market Structure: Monopolistically

Competitive
Long run equilibrium where P=AC at MR=MC output
MC

ATC
Variations:

PMC

Short run profits, losses and

shutdown cases caused by
shifts in market demand and
supply.

Qmc

MR

Factor Market
Perfectly Competitive Resource Market Structure
Perfectly Competitive Labor Market Wage takers
Firm wage comes from market so changes in labor demand do not raise wages.

Labor Market

Wage
Rate

Individual Firm
Wage
Rate
S = MRC

Wc

Wc
D = mrps
Qc
Variations:

Quantity

DL=mrp
qc

Quantity

Changes in market demand and supply factors can influence the firms wage and number
of workers hired.

Imperfectly Competitive Resource Market Structure

Imperfectly Competitive Labor Market Wage makers
Quantity derived from MRC=MRP (Qm)
Wage (Wm) comes from that point downward to Supply curve.

MRC

Wage
Rate

S
b

Wc

Wm

MRP

c
Qm

Qc

Market Failures - Externalities

MSC

Overallocation of resources when external costs are

present and suppliers are shifting some of their costs onto

MPC

the community, making their marginal costs lower. The

supply does not capture all the costs with the S curve
understating total production costs. This means resources

are overallocated to the production of this product. By

shifting costs to the consumer, the firm enjoys S1 curve

Qo
Qe
Spillover Costs
P

and Qe., (optimum output ).

Underallocation of resources when external

benefits are present and the market demand

curve reflects only the private benefits understating
the total benefits. Market demand curve (D) and

MSB

than Qo shown by the intersection of D1 and S with

MPB
Qe Qo
Spillover Benefits

market supply curve yield Qe. This output will be less

resources being underallocated to this use.

Thinking on the Margin

Allocative Efficiency: Marginal Cost (MC) = Marginal Benefit (MB)
Definition: Allocative efficiency means that a goods output is expanded until its
marginal benefit and marginal cost are equal. No resources beyond that point
should be allocated to production.
Theory: Resources are efficiently allocated to any product when the MB and MC are
equal.
Essential Graph:

MC

MC
The point where MC=MB is
allocative efficiency since
neither underallocation or
overallocation of resources
occurs.

&
MB
MB
Q

Application: External Costs and External Benefits

External Costs and Benefits occur when some of the costs or the benefits of the
good or service are passed on to parties other than the immediate buyer or seller.

MSC

External Cost

MC
External
Benefits

MPC
MB
Qo

Qe

External costs

production or consumption
costs inflicted on a third party
without compensation
pollution of air, water are
examples
Supply moves to right
producing a larger output that
is socially desirableover
allocation of resources
Legislation to stop/limit
pollution and specific taxes
(fines) are ways to correct

MPB
Qe Qo

MSB

External benefits

production or consumption costs

conferred on a third party or
community at large without their
compensating the producer
education, vaccinations are examples
Market Demand, reflecting only private
benefits moves to left producing a
smaller output that society would like
under allocation of resources
Legislation to subsidize consumers
and/or suppliers and direct production
by government are ways to correct

Diminishing Marginal Utility

Definition: As a consumer increases consumption of a good or service, the additional
usefulness or satisfaction derived from each additional unit of the good or service
decreases.
Utility is want-satisfying power it is the satisfaction or pleasure one gets from
consuming a good or service. This is subjective notion.
Total Utility is the total amount of satisfaction or pleasure a person derives from
consuming some quantity.
Marginal Utility is the extra satisfaction a consumer realizes from an additional
unit of that product.
Theory: Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility can be stated as the more a specific
product consumer obtain, the less they will want more units of the same product. It
helps to explain the downward-sloping demand curve.
Essential Graph:

Total Utility increases at a

diminishing rate, reaches a
maximum and then
declines.

Total
Utility

TU

Unit

Consumed
Marginal
Utility

Marginal Utility diminishes with

increased consumption, becomes
zero where total utility is at a
maximum, and is negative when
Total Utility declines.

Unit

MU

When Total Utility is atConsumed

its peak, Marginal Utility is becomes zero. Marginal Utility
reflects the change in total utility so it is negative when Total Utility declines.
Teaching Suggestion: begin lesson with a quick starter by tempting a student with
how many candy bars (or whatever) he/she can eat before negative marginal utility
sets in when he/she gets sick!

Law of Diminishing Returns

Definitions:
Total Product: total quantity or total output of a good produced
Marginal Product: extra output or added product associated with adding a unit
of a variable resource

MP =

change in total product

D TP
=
change in labor input
D Linput

Average Product: the output per unit of input, also called labor productivity
AP =

total product TP
=
units of labor
L

Theory: Diminishing Marginal Product a s successive units of a variable resource are

added to a fixed resource beyond some point the extra or the marginal product will
decline; if more workers are added to a constant amount of capital equipment,
output will eventually rise by smaller and smaller amount.
Essential Graph:
TP

TP

Note that the marginal

product intersects the
average product at its
maximum average
product.

Quantity of Labor
Increasing
Marginal
Returns

Negative
Marginal
Returns

When the TP has reached it

maximum, the MP is at zero.
As TP declines, MP is negative.

Diminishing
Marginal
Returns

Quantity of Labor
MP
Teaching Suggestion: Use a game by creating a production factory (square off some
desks). Start with a stapler, paper and one student. Add students and record the marginal
product. Comment on the constant level of capital and the variable students workers.

Short Run Costs

Definitions:
Fixed Cost: costs which in total do not vary with changes in the output; costs
which must be paid regardless of output; constant over the output
examplesinterest, rent, depreciation, insurance, management salary
Variable Cost: costs which change with the level of output; increases in variable
costs are not consistent with unit increase in output; law of diminishing returns will
mean more output from additional inputs at first, then more and more additional
inputs are needed to add to output; easier to control these types of costs
examplesmaterial, fuel, power, transport services, most labor
Total Cost: are the sum of fixed and variable. Most opportunity costs will be fixed
costs.
Average Costs (Per Unit Cost): can be used to compare to product price
AFC =

TFC
Q

AVC =

TVC
Q

ATC =

TC
(or AFC + AVC)
Q

Marginal Costs: the extra or additional cost of producing one more unit of
output; these are the costs in which the firm exercises the most control
MC =

D TC
DQ

Essential Graph:

P/C

MC

AFC declines as output increases

AVC declines initially then
reaches a minimum, then
increases (a U-shaped curve)
ATC will be U-shaped as well
MC declines sharply reaches, a
minimum, and then rises sharply.
MC intersects with AVC and ATC
at minimum points

ATC

AVC
AFC
Q

When MC < ATC, ATC is falling

When MC > ATC, ATC is rising

There is no relationship between MC and AFC

Teaching Suggestion:
Let students draw this diagram many times. Pay attention
to the position of the ATC and AVC and the minimum point of each. Reinforce that
the MC passes through these minimums, but observe that the minimum position of
ATC is to the right of AVC.

Marginal Revenue = Marginal Cost

Definitions:
Marginal Revenue is the change in total revenue from an additional unit sold.
Marginal Cost is the change in total costs from the production of another unit.
Theory: Competitive Firms determine their profit-maximizing (or loss-minimizing)
output by equating the marginal revenue and the marginal cost. The MR=MC rule will
determine the profit maximizing output.
Essential Graph:

In the long run for a perfectly

competitive firm, after all the
changes in the market (more
demand for the product, firms
entering in search of profit, and
then firms exiting because
economic profits are gone), long
run equilibrium is established. In
the long run, a purely
competitive firm earns only
normal profit since MR=P=D=MC
at the lowest ATC. This condition
is both Allocative and Productive
Efficient.

MC
ATC

Pe
P=D=MR=AR

Qe

P
MC
ATC

P
Unit
Cost

MR=MC

For a single price

monopolist, the output
is determined at the
MR=MC intersection
and the price is
determined where that
output meets the
demand curve.

D
Q

MR

Teaching Suggestion: Be sure to allow students to practice the drawing of the shortrun graphs as the lead in to the understanding of the long-run equilibrium in
competitive firms and its meaning. Always begin with this lesson by showing why the
Demand curve and the MR curve are the same since a perfectly competitive seller
earns the price each time another unit is sold.

Marginal Revenue Product = Marginal Resource Cost

Definition:
MRP is the increase in total revenue resulting from the use of each additional
variable input (like labor). The MRP curve is the resource demand curve.
Location of curve depends on the productivity and the price of the product.
MRP=MP x P
MRC is the increase in total cost resulting from the employment of each
additional unit of a resource; so for labor, the MRC is the wage rate.
Theory: It will be profitable for a firm to hire additional units of a resource up to the
point at which that resources MRP is equal to its MRC.
Essential Graphs:
In a purely competitive market:
large number of firms hiring a specific type of labor
numerous qualified, independent workers with identical skills
Wage taker behaviorno ability to control wage on either side
In a perfectly competitive resource market like labor, the resource price is
given to the firm by the market for labor, so their MRC is constant and is equal
to the wage rate. Each new worker adds his wage rate to the total wage
cost. Finding MRC=MRP for the firm will determine how many workers the firm
will hire.

Labor Market

Individual Firm

Wage
Rate

Wage
Rate

S = MRC

Wc

Wc
D = mrps
Qc

DL=mrp
qc

Quantity

Quantity

In a monopsonistic market, an employer of resources has monopolistic buying

(hiring) power. One major employer or several acting like a single monopsonist in
a labor market. In this market:
single buyer of a specific type of labor
labor is relatively immobilegeography or skill-wise
firm is wage maker wage rate paid varies directly with the # of workers
hired

MRC

Wage
Rate

S
b

Wc
Wm

a
MRP

c
Qm

Qc

The employers MRC curve lies

above the labor S curve since it
must pay all workers the higher
wage when it hires the next worker
the high rate to obtain his services.
Equating MRC with MRP at point b,
the monopsonist will hire Qm workers
and pay wage rate Wm.