1. The steel factory makes steel from iron ore and coal. Both iron and coal mines...
1. The steel factory makes steel from iron ore and coal. Both iron and coal mines are near city A, while the demand for steel is in city B, which is 100 kilometers away. The factory makes 1 ton of 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...
2. Increasing returns to scale suggests that establishing a large factory that hires a large number of workers is efficient in production. But hiring a lot of workers in one place potentially drives up wages. Technology, transportation, and labor market interact and play an important role in determining the geography of production. This question illustrates these interactions and explains how the nature of production has evolved over time. Suppose a country has three cities, A, B, C. They are located...
2. Increasing returns to scale suggests that establishing a large factory that hires a large number of workers is efficient in production. But hiring a lot of workers in one place potentially drives up wages. Technology, transportation, and labor market interact and play an important role in determining the geography of production. This question illustrates these interactions and explains how the nature of production has evolved over time. Suppose a country has three cities, A, B, C. They are located...