The steel factory makes steel from iron ore and coal. both iron and coal mines are near city a,,whichis100kilometersaway. thefactorymakes1tonof steel from 1 ton of coal and 2 tonnes of iron ore. shipping is costly and exhibits increasing returns to scale. shipping 1 ton of goods (either raw materials or final products) incurs a terminal cost of $100 (the fixed cost incurred as long as one needs to ship something, no matter how far it is shipped) and $10 per kilometer. a. is the production of steel weight-losing or weight-gaining? (5 pts) b. determine where the factory will be located in order to save as much as possible in shipping cost? suppose that if the factory is built in city a, it has immediate access to coal and iron ore, no shipping cost involving raw materials is required. if the factor is built in city b, it has immediate access to the market, no shipping cost involving the final product is required. (10 pts)

Ajustification for job training programs is that they improve worker productivity. suppose that you are asked to evaluate whether more job training makes workers more productive. however, rather than having data on individual workers, you have access to data on manufacturing firms in ohio. in particu- lar, for each firm, you have information on hours of job training per worker (training) and number of nondefective items produced per worker hour (output). (i) carefully state the ceteris paribus thought experiment underlying this policy question. (ii) does it seem likely that a firm’s decision to train its workers will be independent of worker characteristics? what are some of those measurable and unmeasurable worker characteristics? (iii) name a factor other than worker characteristics that can affect worker productivity. (iv) if you find a positive correlation between output and training, would you have convincingly established that job training makes workers more productive? explain.

2. the language of price controls consider the market for rental cars. suppose that, in a competitive market without government regulations, the equilibrium price of rental cars is $58 per day, and employees at car rental companies earn $19.50 per hour. complete the following table by indicating whether each of the statements is an example of a price ceiling or a price floor and whether it results in a shortage or a surplus or has no effect on the price and quantity that prevail in the market. statement price control effect there are many teenagers who would like to work at car rental companies, but the minimum-wage law sets the hourly wage at $23.00. the government has instituted a legal minimum price of $87 per day for rental cars. the government prohibits car rental companies from renting out rental cars for more than $87 per day.

Which of the following is an example of a production quota? a. the government sets an upper limit on the quantity that each dairy farmer can produce. b. the government sets a price floor in the market for dairy products. c. the government sets a lower limit on the quantity that each dairy farmer can produce. d. the government guarantees to buy a specified quantity of dairy products from farmers.