what are price controls 
the term price controls refers to the legal minimum or maximum prices set for specified goods price controls are normally mandated by the government in the free market they are usually implemented as a means of direct economic intervention to manage the affordability of certain goods and services including rent gasoline and food although it may make certain goods and services more affordable price controls can often lead to disruptions in the market losses for producers and a noticeable change in quality understanding price controlsas mentioned above price controls are a form of government mandated economic intervention they are meant to make things more affordable for consumers and are also commonly used to help steer the economy in a certain direction for instance these restrictions may be deemed necessary in order to curb inflation price controls are opposite to prices set by market forces which are determined by producers because of supply and demand 2price controls are commonly imposed on consumer staples these are essential items such as food or energy products for instance prices were capped for things like rent and gasoline in the united states controls set by the government may impose minimums or maximums price caps are referred to as price ceilings while minimum prices are called price floors although the reasons for price controls may be affordability and economic stability they may have the opposite effect over the long term price controls have been known to lead to problems such as shortages rationing deterioration of product quality and illegal markets that arise to supply the price controlled goods through unofficial channels producers may experience losses especially if prices are set too low this can often lead to a drop in the quality of available goods and services 2some economists believe that price controls are usually only effective on an extremely short term basis 1history of price controlsprice controls aren t a new concept they go back thousands of years according to historians the production and distribution of grain were regulated by egyptian authorities in the third century b c other civilizations implemented price controls including the babylonians the ancient greeks and the roman empire 3we can find instances of price control in more modern times including during times of war and revolution in the united states colonial governments controlled the prices of commodities required by george washington s army which resulted in severe shortages 3governments continue to intervene and set limits on how producers can price their products and services for instance municipal governments often limit how much rent a landlord can collect from their tenants and the amount by which they can increase these rents to make housing more affordable the u s government also set price caps on energy prices during times of crisis including world war i and ii and between 1971 and 1973 345types of price controlsprice controls come in two forms price floors and price ceilings price floors are the minimum prices set for goods and services they may be set by the government or in some cases by producers themselves minimum prices are imposed to help producers when authorities believe that prices are too low leading to an unfair market once set prices can t fall below the minimum 2price ceilings or caps are the highest points at which goods and services can be sold this occurs when authorities want to help consumers if they feel that prices are far too high this is especially true in the case of rent control when government agencies want to protect tenants from slumlords and overzealous landlords just like price floors prices can t go above ceilings once they re set 2example of price controlsrent control is one of the most common forms of price control government programs establish limits on the maximum amount of rent a property owner can collect from their tenants these limits are also imposed on annual rent increases the rationale behind rent control is that it helps keep housing affordable especially for more vulnerable people like those with lower incomes and aging adults 6governments commonly impose controls on drug prices this is especially true for life saving and specialty medications like insulin drug companies often come under pressure for setting prices too high their rationale is normally patent protection and to cover the expensive costs of research and development r d and distribution consumers and governments say this puts certain medications out of reach for the average citizen 1minimum wages are considered a form of price control as well in this case it is a price floor or the lowest possible salary an employer can pay to their employees minimum wages ensure that individuals can maintain a specific standard of living 2sports franchises often put price controls through a method called dynamic pricing for example tickets to a new york yankee baseball game are subject to variable prices that may differ from other games according to major league baseball these prices are based on changing factors that affect market demand 7advantages and disadvantages of price controlsprice controls are often imposed when governments feel that consumers can t afford goods and services for instance price ceilings are established to prevent producers from price gouging this is common in the housing rental industry and in the drug health sector 21governments may also set price limits on goods and services if they feel that producers aren t benefiting from how goods and services are priced in the free market this allows companies to remain competitive and ensure that they are profitable 2controlling how prices are set keeps companies from developing monopolies companies are at an advantage and can dictate prices when demand is high and supply is short as such they may be able to inflate prices to boost their profits governments can intervene and set price ceilings to prevent suppliers from continuing to raise prices allow competitors to enter the market and crush monopolies that exploit consumers 2price controls may be enacted with the best of intentions but they often don t work most attempts to control prices often struggle to overcome the economic forces of supply and demand for any significant length of time when prices are established by commerce in a free market prices shift to maintain the balance between supply and demand government imposed price controls can lead to the creation of excess demand in the case of price ceilings or excess supply in the case of price floors 28critics say that as a result price controls often lead to an imbalance between supply and demand this can in turn lead to shortages and underground markets when prices are too low enough for things like housing there may not be enough supply thereby increasing demand for instance landlords may let the condition of their properties deteriorate because they aren t making enough to maintain them 28price controls can lead to losses and a significant drop in quality when prices are too low there s a good chance that producer revenue drops they may have to find a way to cut down on costs some may choose to cut down production or may end up putting more inferior products out on the market as a result r d drops while newer and more innovative products stop appearing on the market 28protects consumers by eliminating price gouginghelps producers remain competitive and profitableeliminates monopoliescan lead to shortages and illegal marketsmay create excess demand or excess supplyoften result in losses for producers and a drop in quality of products and services