Market of use of car
In above diagram, it shows the market of consumption of use of car. Under free market condition, consumers will consumption at P*Q*(MPC=MPB). However, the social optimum level is P1Q1. It’s because consumers ignore the negative externality from their consumption of the use of car to the whole society of Beijing. MPB > MSB, market failure exists as a result (yellow area).
As stated in the article, air quality in Beijing has been over declining. Its air condition has been poor polluted by both over consuming of use of cars. This is a negative externality to the whole society and it’s a market failure. There are few different ways for government to solve this problem via either consumers or producers.
First, government can put a higher taxation on cars. This increases the cost of the car therefore price of the car will increase. According to the law of demand, quantity demand will fall when price increase, therefore the quantity demand of car will decrease. This minimizes the amount of consumers entering the market. An imperfect side of this action could outcome a small economic decline but it’s tiny compare to China’s manufacturing
Second, the China government can do what they did during the Olympics that allowed private cars on the road by their license plate number. Legislation is a type of determinant of quantity demand. It limits the quantity demand limiting the use of car. However, a small amount of people might have 2 different cars which have 2 different license plate number that allow them keep driving private cars everyday but this is just a small amount of consumers have this ability which can be ignored.
Third, government can also use advertisement to reduce the air pollution. Government can popularize the harm of overconsumption of use of car to aware from people keep using cars. Government can also focus on sustainable development. Advertisement is a type of demand determinates affecting consumers demand on a product. In this case advertisement may be able to reduce the demand of use of car thus reduce the air pollution that’s caused by car. A simple diagram may show this situation:
Market of consumption of use of car
The diagram shows the market of consumption of use of car. Under free market condition, consumers will consumption at P*Q*(MPC=MPB). However, when government increase the tax of car or add new legislation, the MPB curve will shift from MPB to MPB1 because the decrease of quantity demands of consumption of use of car. Thus, under free market condition, consumers will consume at P2Q2 and market failure reduces down from the yellow area down to the purple area.
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Above investigate is only about overconsumption of use of cars another reason as above mention could be over production of factories which outcome air pollution to the whole society. Government can increase tax on the firm that is overproducing goods, which out come air pollution that affect the whole society. Quantity supply of production of factories will fall as an outcome. Also, China government can introducte tradable permits to fix the amount of polluted air every year, here a government issues license tradable emission license to producers and they are allowed to pollute up to a designed level and the amount of pollution are allowed to sell their permit to other producers. These are all doable solution to minimize the amount of air pollution in Beijing, thus to reach the measurement standard of tiny particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter.