Imagine a city where the law says a loaf of bread cannot cost more than one dollar, no matter how many people want it. Or a country where every worker must be paid at least $15 an hour. These aren’t just ideas — they’re real policies governments use to try to make markets fairer or more affordable. But as we’ll see, even well‑meaning rules can cause surprising side effects. This chapter looks at what happens when governments step in with price controls and taxes, and who really ends up carrying the burden.