Demand, Supply, and Efficiency

Read this section to learn more about how price floors and price ceilings create inefficiencies in the market. Pay special attention to the concepts of Consumer Surplus, Producer Surplus, and Social Surplus and how they are affected due to price controls. Try solving the "Self-Check Questions".

Demand, Supply, and Efficiency

By the end of this section, you will be able to:
  • Contrast consumer surplus, producer surplus, and social surplus
  • Explain why price floors and price ceilings can be inefficient
  • Analyze demand and supply as a social adjustment mechanism

The familiar demand and supply diagram holds within it the concept of economic efficiency. One typical way that economists define efficiency is when it is impossible to improve the situation of one party without imposing a cost on another. Conversely, if a situation is inefficient, it becomes possible to benefit at least one party without imposing costs on others.

Efficiency in the demand and supply model has the same basic meaning: The economy is getting as much benefit as possible from its scarce resources and all the possible gains from trade have been achieved. In other words, the optimal amount of each good and service is being produced and consumed.

Source: Rice University, https://openstax.org/books/principles-microeconomics/pages/3-5-demand-supply-and-efficiency
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