Stable and unstable equilibrium, Managerial Economics

Assignment Help:

Stable and Unstable Equilibrium

An equilibrium is said to be stable equilibrium when economic forces tend to push the market towards it.  In other words, any divergence from the equilibrium position sets up forces, which tend to restore the equilibrium.  This is the case in the market for good X illustrated.

At prices above Ope, there is an excess supply which pushes the price down.  At prices below Ope there is an excess demand which pushes the price up.

Unstable equilibrium on the other hand is one such that any divergence from the equilibrium sets up forces which push the price further away from the equilibrium price.  Consider the figure below which illustrates the market for good Y, which has a demand curve sloping upwards from left to right.  Good Y might be an inferior good or a veblen good.

Price Ope is the equilibrium price and quantity Oqe is the equilibrium quantity.  The "abnormal" demand curve means that at prices above Ope there is excess demand which pushes the price upwards and away from the equilibrium.  Similarly, at prices below Ope, there is excess supply which pushes the prices even further down.

Thus, although equilibrium are states of rest at which no economic forces exist to change the situation, it is important to remember that not all equilibria are stable.  The equilibrium in the figure above is sometimes called a knife edge equilibrium because a small change in price sends the system well away from equilibrium.


Related Discussions:- Stable and unstable equilibrium

Determinants of the money supply, Determinants of the money supply Two...

Determinants of the money supply Two extreme situations are imaginable.  In the first situation, the money supply can be determined at exactly the amount decided on by the Cen

Explain price elasticity and total revenue, Q. Explain Price elasticity and...

Q. Explain Price elasticity and total revenue? Given the relationship between price elasticity and marginal revenue of demand in Eq. II, the decision-makers can simply know whe

Income elasticity of demand, demand function is q=4850 - 5p(1) + 1.5p(2) + ...

demand function is q=4850 - 5p(1) + 1.5p(2) + 0.1 Y WHEN Y=10000 p(1)=200 p(2)= 100 find income elasticity of demand for p(1)

Decision making, Explain how managerial economics is useful for decision ma...

Explain how managerial economics is useful for decision making

Calculate cost of a unit of labor, Suppose a firm's budget were large enoug...

Suppose a firm's budget were large enough to employ 100 units of either labor or capital, the cost of a unit of labor being the same as a unit of capital. The production function i

Importance of cross elasticity, Importance of Cross Elasticity Knowled...

Importance of Cross Elasticity Knowledge of cross elasticity is necessary when the government wants to impose a tariff on an imported commodity to protect a domestic industry.

Shift in the supply curve, Shifts in the supply curve Shifts in the su...

Shifts in the supply curve Shifts in the supply curve are brought about by changes in factors other than the price of the commodity. A shift in supply is indicated by an entir

Price, break event point

break event point

Central bank functions-custodian of member cash reserves , Custodian of Mem...

Custodian of Member Banks Cash Reserves As bankers bank the central bank performs several function. It keeps the cash reserves of commercial banks in the economy and thus acts

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd