a. In the absence of a price floor, the maximum price that a few of the consumers are willing to pay up to $100 per barrel of gosum berries. The market equilibrium (E) price is $50 per barrel. How much consumer surplus is created, when there is no price floor? Show your calculations.
b. How much producer surplus when there is no price floor? Show your calculations.
c. What is the total surplus when there is no price floor? Show your calculations.
d. After the price floor is instituted, the legal minimum price that can be charged by suppliers is $70 per barrel. The maximum price that a few of the consumers are still willing to pay is $100 per barrel of gosum berries. With the price floor at $70 per barrel, consumers buy 300 barrels of gosum berries per month. How much consumer surplus is created with the price floor? Show your calculations.
d. How much producer surplus is created with the price floor? Show your calculations.
d. The Chairman of Production’s Office buys any barrels of gosum berries that the producers are not able to sell. With the price floor, the producers sell 300 barrels per month to consumers, but the producers, at this high price floor, produce 700 barrels per month. How much money does the Chairman of Production’s Office spend on buying up surplus gosum berries? Show your calculations.
d. The Emperor of Gondwanaland must collect taxes from the people to pay for the purchases of surplus gosum berries by the Chairman of Production’s Office. As a result, total surplus (producer plus consumer) is reduced by the amount the Chairman of Production’s Office spent on buying surplus gosum berries. Using your answers for parts d, e, and f, what is the total surplus when there is a price floor? Show your calculations.
d. How does this compare to the total surplus without a price floor from part c?
