Definition

External Effect (Externality)

An external effect, or externality, is a cost or benefit from an economic activity that affects a third party who is not directly involved in that activity. These uncompensated spillover effects are not reflected in market prices. Costs imposed on others are termed negative externalities (or external diseconomies), such as pollution from a factory. Benefits conferred on others are known as positive externalities (or external economies), such as a beekeeper's bees pollinating a nearby orchard.

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Updated 2025-09-16

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Ch.10 Market successes and failures: The societal effects of private decisions - The Economy 2.0 Microeconomics @ CORE Econ

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