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

Uses of production function, The production function can have many uses. It...

The production function can have many uses. It can be used to compute least-cost factor combination for a given output or maximum output combination for a given cost. Knowledge of

Me, In a one-shot game, if you advertise and your rival advertises, you wil...

In a one-shot game, if you advertise and your rival advertises, you will each earn RM5 million in profits. If neither of you advertises, your rival will make RM4 million and you w

Scracity and opportunity cost, Define scarcity and opportunity cost. Show h...

Define scarcity and opportunity cost. Show how these concepts are useful in managerial decision making

Arguments for uneven distribution of income and wealth, Arguments for Uneve...

Arguments for Uneven Distribution of Income and Wealth The basic economic argument to justify large income inequality was the assumption that high personal and corporate income

Advantages of indirect taxes, Advantages a. They are less costly to ...

Advantages a. They are less costly to administer because the producers and sellers themselves deposit them with the government. b. If levied on goods with inelastic deman

The cps data, Using the CPS data, set the sample to women only and regress ...

Using the CPS data, set the sample to women only and regress lnwage on education & MARRIED (which is 1 if married and 0 if not) and 1-MARRIED. Give a 95 percent confidence interval

#sales maximisation theory, how realistic is the sales maximization model f...

how realistic is the sales maximization model from experience with business objectives as pursued by Zimbabwean firms

Monopolistic versus perfect competition, firms both in monopolistic and per...

firms both in monopolistic and perfect competition tend to make normal profits but why do they criticize only monopolistic competition

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