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Principles of Microeconomics / Unit 12   MIC 1101 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Positive Externalities

Captions available

The idea

A positive externality is a benefit from a market exchange that lands on someone outside it: a vaccination protects the neighbors; new knowledge spreads to firms that paid nothing.

In practice

A flu shot buyer pays for their own protection and gives away the rest.

Where people slip

The buyer stops at their own benefit, so the market makes too few; the failure mirrors unit eleven's.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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