Difference between Consumer Surplus and Producer Surplus


Economic surplus, often known as welfare surplus, is a central concept in the study of economics. Mr. Paul Baran is credited with initially proposing this idea. As can be seen in the demand and supply curve, it factors in both the surplus of consumers and the oversupply of producers. The differences between consumer surplus and producer surplus in economics are laid out in the table below.

What is Consumer Surplus?

The term "consumer surplus" describes the disparity between the price at which a client is ready to pay and the price at which the market is deemed to be in equilibrium. There is a positive consumer surplus when the market price is less than the customer's willingness to pay. It's a metric for determining how much of a positive impact a product or service has on the lives of its consumers.

The degree to which a demand curve is elastic has a number of different effects on consumer surplus;

  • A demand for goods and services that is perfectly elastic results in a consumer surplus that is equal to zero. This is due to the fact that the price that customers are prepared to pay and the price that they actually pay are the same.

  • There is an endless consumer surplus associated with a demand that is perfectly inelastic. This is due to the fact that changes in price do not have any effect on the level of demand.

  • A demand that is inelastic leads to a surplus of supply, which results in customers paying more than the going rate for the good or service. The vast majority of businesses, almost universally, raise their prices in response to situations like these.

What is Producer Surplus?

The maximum acceptable price range refers to the price difference between the most a client is willing to pay and the going rate for a product. It's a metric for figuring out how much better off people are because they made something.

Differences: Consumer Surplus and Producer Surplus

Both "consumer surplus" and "producer surplus" have a depressing influence on the costs. The following table highlights how Consumer Surplus is different from Producer Surplus -

Characteristics Consumer Surplus Producer Surplus
Definition The term "consumer surplus" refers to the amount of money left over after a market has reached equilibrium and a consumer has paid the price they were prepared to pay. Economists use the term "producer surplus" to refer to the amount by which the market price exceeds the customer's maximum acceptable price.
Welfare In economics, the term "consumer surplus" refers to the benefit gained by end users from a product or service. The phrase "producer surplus" is used to describe the monetary benefit that can be traced back to the creation of a good or service.

Conclusion

The demand and supply curve is a fundamental concept in economics and cannot be ignored. Consumer surplus is defined as the gap between the price at which a buyer is willing to part with an item and the equilibrium market price. Producer surplus, on the other hand, is the sum that results when the market price of a good or service is compared to the most that any given customer is willing to pay for that good or service. The equilibrium point, which is the meeting place of supply and demand, is determined by both of these variables.

Updated on: 13-Dec-2022

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