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by xupybd 1466 days ago
So would a less efficient engine in a car be an externality?
2 comments

The pollution from such a car is undeniably an externality. Just Google "is pollution an externality".

The less efficient engine itself is not because it is priced in. Because the government made them put it on the window of every single car sold.

“Priced in” means that the full social cost is reflected in the price.

A window sticker is not “pricing in” the externality.

Pollution is the externality.

A less efficient car engine means that the magnitude of the externality (in this case, the externalized cost, you can have externalized benefits as well) is larger.