A politician is worried about steel manufacturing in his district. What is the most likely result of proposing a price floor on steel?

Proposing a price floor on steel means that the politician wants to set a minimum price that must be paid for steel, which is typically above the equilibrium price. When a price floor is established, it leads to a situation where the price of steel is artificially kept high.

The consequence of this higher price is that producers are incentivized to supply more steel since they can sell it at the higher price, but consumers, facing a higher price, will demand less steel. This imbalance creates a surplus, where the quantity of steel supplied exceeds the quantity demanded. As a result, the market does not clear, and there are unsold steel products at the end of the price floor enforcement. This is a classic outcome when a price floor is put in place above the market equilibrium.

Understanding this concept is crucial as it illustrates how government intervention in markets can lead to unintended consequences, such as surplus situations, and the importance of equilibrium in maintaining balance in supply and demand.