Price controls are government-mandated minimum or maximum prices
set for specific goods and are typically put in place to manage the
affordability of the goods.
The two inefficiencies created by price control are :
- Increasing dead-weight loss - Due to price ceiling an
inefficient outcome occurs and the total surplus of society is
reduced. The loss in social surplus that occurs when the economy
produces at an inefficient quantity is called deadweight loss. In a
very real sense, it is like money thrown away that benefits no one.
In Figure the shaded portion shows the dead weight loss. When
deadweight loss exists, it is possible for both consumer and
producer surplus to be higher, in this case because the price
control is blocking some suppliers and demanders from transactions
they would both be willing to make.
- Reduction in overall social surplus - A second change from the
price ceiling is that some of the producer surplus is transferred
to consumers. But the gain to consumers is less than the loss to
producers, which is just another way of seeing the deadweight loss,
and hence there is overall loss of surplus to society.
It can be seen graphically as -