Note: This is post #24 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics.

When prices are controlled, the mutually profitable gains from free trade cannot be fully realized, creating what is known as deadweight loss. In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrok shows how to calculate deadweight loss using our example of a price ceiling on gasoline.

(If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them at 1.5 to 2 times the speed. You can adjust the speed at which the video plays by clicking on “Settings” (the gear symbol) and changing “Speed” from normal to 1.25, 1.5 or 2.)

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