Somebody steals silverware from the dinner table at a nice restaurant
You question them and they justify their behavior by saying, "The restaurant management knows customers steal–they raise the price of their meals and drinks to cover the additional costs of stolen items. Since they pass on the higher costs to all of us who haven't stolen, I think it is only fair I finally get my share of the silverware." The economist would view the above statement as: A) incorrect, because even though people stole silverware, it doesn't make it any more profitable to raise prices.
B) correct, because what's fair is fair.
C) correct, because economics champions such selfish behavior.
D) an ethical problem, and it has nothing to do with economics.
A
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Anna's Antiques expects to get two bidders for the unique china teacup it sells. Each of the bidders can either have a high-value of $100 or a low-value of $70 with equal probability. If Anna holds an auction between the two customers, the expected value of this auction is
a. $70 b. $78 c. $85 d. $100
The notion of reciprocity means that one nation will impose import restrictions on another in order to:
a. stimulate an increase in trade restrictions in the latter. b. stimulate a decrease in trade restrictions in the latter. c. eliminate trade restrictions immediately in both countries. d. improve the government revenue collections through tariffs in both countries. e. enforce standards of product quality in the latter.