1. In the signalling model of education, separating equilibria in which education acts as a signal of ability would break down if the costs of acquiring education are equal for individuals with different abilities. Is this true or false? Explain your answer

Microeconomic Theory
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ISBN:9781337517942
Author:NICHOLSON
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Chapter3: Preferences And Utility
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 3.9P
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1. In the signalling model of education, separating equilibris in which education
acts as a signal of ability would break down if the costs of acquiring education
are equal for individuals with different abilities. Is this true or false? Explain
your answer
2. The utility function of a consumer over two goods x and y is given by
u(x, y)20 In x + 2y
The price of y is 1. Let p denote the price of x. The consumer has an income of
M> 10. The consumer's price elasticity of demand for x has a lower absolute
value compared to the income elasticity of demand for y. Is this true or false?
Explain by calculating both elasticities.
3. A society consists of 3 identical individuals who derive utility from a public
good. The public good can be provided at a constant marginal cost of 2. Let
x, denote the level of public good provision by i, where i 1,2,3. Let X-
x1 + x2 + x3 be the total provision. The net benefit enjoyed by individual i from
providing x, units of the public good is given by
U(x,x)= 4 In X - 2x,
where i=1,2. Is the total provision X under individual optimisation higher
or lower than the socially optimal level of provision Xº? Explain the intuition
for your result.
4. If the price of a factor of production rises, a profit maximising firm might use
more of that factor. Is this true or false? Explain your answer by drawing com-
parison for consumer choice for a Giffen good.
5. Consider an economy with two goods, A and B. Suppose the price of good
A is p and let the price of good B be 1. There is a large number of identical
consumers. The indifference curves of consumers have the usual shape with
diminishing marginal rate of substitution between the two goods. Suppose the
government must raise a tax revenue of R, and can do this either by imposing a
per-unit tax of t on good A, or by imposing a lump-sum tax 7 on each consumer.
Which policy would the consumers prefer? Explain your reasoning carefully,
using any appropriate diagram, and explain the intuition behind your result.
Transcribed Image Text:1. In the signalling model of education, separating equilibris in which education acts as a signal of ability would break down if the costs of acquiring education are equal for individuals with different abilities. Is this true or false? Explain your answer 2. The utility function of a consumer over two goods x and y is given by u(x, y)20 In x + 2y The price of y is 1. Let p denote the price of x. The consumer has an income of M> 10. The consumer's price elasticity of demand for x has a lower absolute value compared to the income elasticity of demand for y. Is this true or false? Explain by calculating both elasticities. 3. A society consists of 3 identical individuals who derive utility from a public good. The public good can be provided at a constant marginal cost of 2. Let x, denote the level of public good provision by i, where i 1,2,3. Let X- x1 + x2 + x3 be the total provision. The net benefit enjoyed by individual i from providing x, units of the public good is given by U(x,x)= 4 In X - 2x, where i=1,2. Is the total provision X under individual optimisation higher or lower than the socially optimal level of provision Xº? Explain the intuition for your result. 4. If the price of a factor of production rises, a profit maximising firm might use more of that factor. Is this true or false? Explain your answer by drawing com- parison for consumer choice for a Giffen good. 5. Consider an economy with two goods, A and B. Suppose the price of good A is p and let the price of good B be 1. There is a large number of identical consumers. The indifference curves of consumers have the usual shape with diminishing marginal rate of substitution between the two goods. Suppose the government must raise a tax revenue of R, and can do this either by imposing a per-unit tax of t on good A, or by imposing a lump-sum tax 7 on each consumer. Which policy would the consumers prefer? Explain your reasoning carefully, using any appropriate diagram, and explain the intuition behind your result.
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