Microeconomics
Microeconomics
5th Edition
ISBN: 9781319098780
Author: Paul Krugman, Robin Wells
Publisher: Worth Publishers
Question
Book Icon
Chapter 6, Problem aWYWL
To determine

To Explain:

The usefulness of the concepts of price and income elasticities of demand.

Concept Introduction:

Price Elasticity of Demand:

The degree of responsiveness of the quantity demanded in response to the change in the price of the product.

Income Elasticity of Demand:

The degree of responsiveness of the quantity demanded in response to the change in the income level of the consumers.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark

Explanation of Solution

The concept of price elasticity of demand is significantly useful for business people, farmers, laborers, and government policymakers. Business firms take decisions on product pricing based on their price elasticities. Input prices, especially the wages of the labor are determined by the elasticities of their outputs. The lower is the elasticity of demand of output, the higher is their wages. In case of international trade, the concept of elasticity finds many applications. It helps the government to regulate taxes on imports, assists in the determination of tariffs, or in issuing exemptions and monitoring the value of the currency. In the domestic front also, the concept of elasticity assists the government policy-makers to decide on imposing of taxes on goods and services.

The income elasticity of demand helps in classifying goods into categories such as normal goods (when income elasticity is positive) and inferior goods (when income elasticity is negative). Based on the value of income elasticity, normal goods can be again classified as luxury goods and necessities. These classifications are important for any business decisions. Income elasticities are also used to know about the stages of the business cycle and to forecast demand.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Short Description Fiscal Policy   Graph Details Shown is a Fiscal Policy diagram with the variable Real GDP (billions of dollars) on the x-axis and the variable Price Level on the y-axis. The x-axis is scaled from 0 to 800 billion dollars with an increment of 40 billion dollars, and the y-axis is scaled from 30 to 150 units with an increment of 5 units.   Object Details On the graph we have:Four Line Objects:An upward sloping Aggregate Supply, AS line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (160, 70)Point 2 at (720, 140)A downward sloping Aggregate Demand, AD1 line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (80, 110)Point 2 at (640, 40)A vertical Long-run Aggregate Supply, LRAS with two endpoints:Point 1 at (400, 145)Point 2 at (400, 30)A downward sloping Aggregate Demand, AD line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (720, 60)Point 2 at (160, 130)Two Reference Points:Lines AS, AD, and LRAS intersect at (400, 100)Lines AS  and AD1 intersect at (280, 85) a. How much does aggregate demand need to change to restore the…
Fiscal Policy   Graph Details Shown is a Fiscal Policy diagram with the variable Real GDP (billions of dollars) on the x-axis and the variable Price Level on the y-axis. The x-axis is scaled from 0 to 1000 billion dollars with an increment of 50 billion dollars, and the y-axis is scaled from 0 to 180 units with an increment of 10 units.   Object Details On the graph we have:Four Line Objects:An upward sloping Aggregate Supply, AS line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (200, 40)Point 2 at (800, 160)A downward sloping Aggregate Demand, AD line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (200, 160)Point 2 at (800, 40)A downward sloping Aggregate Demand, AD1 line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (350, 170)Point 2 at (900, 60)A vertical Long-run Aggregate Supply, LRAS line with two endpoints:Point 1 at (500, 170)Point 2 at (500, 0)Two Reference Points:Lines AS and AD1 intersect at (600, 120)Lines AS, AD, and LRAS intersect at (500, 100) a. How much does aggregate demand need to change to restore the…
a. How much does aggregate demand need to change to restore the economy to its long-run equilibrium?        $  billion   b. If the MPC is 0.6, how much does government purchases need to change to shift aggregate demand by the amount you found in part a?        $  billion   Suppose instead that the MPC is 0.95.   c. How much does aggregate demand and government purchases need to change to restore the economy to its long-run equilibrium?        Aggregate demand needs to change by $  billion and government purchases need to change by $  billion.
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
ENGR.ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Economics
ISBN:9780190931919
Author:NEWNAN
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Text book image
Principles of Economics (12th Edition)
Economics
ISBN:9780134078779
Author:Karl E. Case, Ray C. Fair, Sharon E. Oster
Publisher:PEARSON
Text book image
Engineering Economy (17th Edition)
Economics
ISBN:9780134870069
Author:William G. Sullivan, Elin M. Wicks, C. Patrick Koelling
Publisher:PEARSON
Text book image
Principles of Economics (MindTap Course List)
Economics
ISBN:9781305585126
Author:N. Gregory Mankiw
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Managerial Economics: A Problem Solving Approach
Economics
ISBN:9781337106665
Author:Luke M. Froeb, Brian T. McCann, Michael R. Ward, Mike Shor
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Managerial Economics & Business Strategy (Mcgraw-...
Economics
ISBN:9781259290619
Author:Michael Baye, Jeff Prince
Publisher:McGraw-Hill Education