6. suppose that people expect inflation to equal 3 percent, but in fact, prices rise by 5 percent. describe how this unexpectedly high inflation rate would or hurt the following:

a. the government
b. a homeowner with a fixed-rate mortgage
c. a union worker in the second year of a labor contract
d. a college that has invested some of its endowment in government bonds

4. suppose that pollution in a neighborhood comes from two factories, with marginal benefit curves given by mb1 = 12 – p1 and mb2 = 8 – p2. the level of pollution in the neighborhood is given by p = p1 + p2. the government wants to limit pollution by instituting a pollution-rights market. the government’s desired level of p is 10, so it prints 10 pollution rights and offers them for sale to the firms.a)find the equilibrium selling price of a pollution right, as well as the allocation of rights (and hence pollution levels) across the two factories. b)repeat part (a) for the case where the government’s desired level of pollution equals 14. c)comment on the usefulness of a pollution rights market in achieving efficient levels of pollution abatement.

Greenway industries is a major multinational conglomerate. its business units compete in a range of industries, including home appliances, pharmaceuticals, commercial real estate, and plastics manufacturing. although its largest business unit, which produces kitchen appliances, is among the most profitable in the industry, it generates only 35 percent of the company's revenues. which of the following is most likely true of greenway's stock price? a. it is valued at less than the sum of its individual business units. b. it is valued at greater than the sum of individual business units. c. it is valued at the exact sum of individual business units. d. it is consistently lower than the industry average.it is valued at greater than the sum of individual business units.

What is the difference between total utility and marginal utility? a. marginal utility is subject to the law of diminishing marginal utility while total utility is not. b. total utility represents the consumer optimum while marginal utility gives the total utility per dollar spent on the last unit. c. total utility is the total amount of satisfaction derived from consuming a certain amount of a good while marginal utility is the additional satisfaction gained from consuming an additional unit of the good. d. marginal utility represents the consumer optimum while total utility gives the total utility per dollar spent on the last unit.