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Externalities

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Submitted By rmza
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Externalities arise when a person or a firm’s actions affect the welfare of others in

ways that are not reflected in market prices (spillover effect). In this essay, I will

discuss the characteristics of externalities, their control and implications on the

free market as well as discussing the ways in which governments can assist to

develop and implement policies that can encourage positive externalities. (Lipsey

and Chrystal, 2001) (Donohue, et al, 2008:RB2).

Externalities could be defined as the costs or benefits that arise from private

and public consumption or production. External costs of production occur

when a factory emissions cause excessive pollution levels that create

breathing difficulties for some members of society. Moreover, external costs of

consumption arise when people use their vehicles, affecting others negatively

through exhausts emissions. (Lipsey and Chrystal, 2001), (Donohue, et al, 2008:RB2).

On the bright side, externalities are not always negative and can often benefit

the society; Toyota’s corporate responsibility programs act as examples of this.

They train their employees to minimise waste production in the workplace as

part of their “Think Green! Program”, there is an inherent external benefit to

society as they help to reduce environmental impact and there is a potential that

such employees will pass their knowledge on to other members of society at a

later date, this creates a positive externality. Furthermore, external benefits of

consumption arise when employees carpool to commute to their workplace, as a

result, fewer emissions are exhausted in the air and less people are harmed by it.

(Lipsey and Chrystal, 2001), (Toyota, 2007), (Donohue, et al, 2008:RB2).

In a free-market economy and with the absence of government regulations and

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