The marginal social benefit of pollution:
A)is zero since pollution is not beneficial.
B)can be measured as the additional gain to society from one additional unit of pollution.
C)is easy to estimate since polluters are required to file this information in their tax returns.
D)is equal to the marginal social cost of pollution since benefits to producers are equal to costs to consumers.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The marginal social benefit of pollution can be measured as the additional gain to society from one additional unit of pollution. While pollution itself may not be inherently beneficial, there can be unintended positive consequences resulting from it, such as increased employment opportunities stemming from cleanup efforts. However, it is important to note that these benefits must be weighed against the negative impacts of pollution to determine the overall net social benefit. The other choices are incorrect - polluters are usually not required to report the marginal social benefit of their pollution, and the benefits to producers are not necessarily equal to costs to consumers.

The Marginal Social Benefit of Pollution