1、问题的起因:
1972年在美国华盛顿州,一位愤怒的消费者给《西雅图时报》写信说,华盛顿州所有的的优质苹果都运到中东去了!抱怨说在当地水果店里买不到优质苹果。为什么当地市场上的华盛顿苹果又小又难看呢 最近,几个采摘苹果的朋友带来了一些他们刚摘的苹果,这些苹果至少是那些能在当地市场上买到的苹果的四倍大.这些美味大苹果都到哪儿去了呢 它们被运往欧洲或中东地区了吗 在西雅图这里能买得到吗 署名:M.W.P.
2、阿尔钦和艾伦对这个问题的回答如下:
M.W.P.所抱怨的"所有的优质苹果都运到中东去了",这是华盛顿大学经济系的课堂上或考试中常碰到的一个问题.但这也是实际现象.很容易得到解释:例如,我们假定在当地买一个优质苹果要花10分钱,而次等苹果需5分钱,那么,吃一个优质苹果的花费与吃两个次等苹果的花费相等.我们可以说一个优质苹果"值"两个次等苹果,两个优质苹果就值四个次等苹果.假定将一个苹果运到中东的成本是5分钱.那么在中东,一个优质苹果就值15分,而次等苹果值10分.但现在吃两个优质苹果的花费就等于吃三个而不是吃四个次等苹果.尽管两者的价格都提高了,但相对而言,优质苹果变得便宜了.因此,中东地区对优质苹果的消费比例比这里高.这不是在耍什么花招,只不过是需求规律在起作用.
修改一下:
我又查了一些资料
(如,“Some Evidence on the Alchian and Allen Theorem:The Third Law of Demand”、
“Good Grapes and Bad Lobsters: Applying the Alchian and Allen Theorem”),
认为阿尔钦——艾伦定理是Alchina A.和W. Allen.1964年在 University Economics( Belmont, Calif.:Wadsworth Publishing Co. )一书中提出的,相关部分如下:
Alchian and Allen first presented their analysis in 1964(Alchian and Allen [1964], page 75.):
Suppose that grapes are grown in California and that it costs 5 cents a pound to
ship grapes to New York whether the grapes are "choice" or "standard" (poorer)
and that the total production of grapes is 50 percent "choice" and 50 percent
"standard." Suppose further that in California the "choice" grapes sell for 10 cents
a pound and the standard for 5 cents a pound; that is in California 2 pounds of
"standard" and one pound of "choice" grapes sell for the same price. If grapes are
shipped to New York, the shipping costs will raise the costs of "choice" grapes to
15 cents and of "standard" grapes to 10 cents. In New York the costs of "choice"
grapes are lower relative to "standard" grapes (1.5 to 1) than in California (2 to 1).
To buy 1 pound of "choice" grapes in New York would mean a sacrifice of 1.5
pounds of "standard" whereas in California it would cost two pounds of
"standard." According to our law of demand, New Yorkers faced with a lower
price of "choice" grapes relative to "standard" will consume relatively more
"choice" grapes than Californians will. In California where "standard" grapes are
cheaper relative to "choice" grapes a larger fraction of "standard" grapes will be
consumed—and this is what actually happens.
[此贴子已经被作者于2006-1-25 22:45:28编辑过]