Angebotselastizität

Angebotselastizität, often translated as elasticity of supply, measures the responsiveness of the quantity supplied of a good or service to a change in its price. It quantifies how much the supply of a product changes when its market price fluctuates. A high Angebotselastizität indicates that producers are willing and able to significantly increase or decrease their output in response to price changes. Conversely, a low Angebotselastizität means that the quantity supplied changes only slightly when prices move.

The calculation of Angebotselastizität involves dividing the percentage change in quantity supplied by the percentage change in price. For example, if a 10% increase in price leads to a 20% increase in the quantity supplied, the Angebotselastizität is 2. If the price increase only leads to a 5% increase in supply, the elasticity is 0.5.

Several factors influence Angebotselastizität. The availability of inputs is crucial; if producers can easily acquire more raw materials or labor, supply is likely to be more elastic. The time horizon also plays a role; in the long run, producers generally have more flexibility to adjust their production capacity, making supply more elastic than in the short run. The degree of substitutability of production processes and the complexity of the production process also affect responsiveness. Products with simple production processes and readily available substitutes tend to have higher elasticities of supply.