ECON207, 2024 Summer

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Exam 1: ECON207, 2024 Summer

Submission Instructions

Please submit your solutions before the deadline through the blackboard the Exam 01 folder.

Late submissions will not be accepted and academic dishonesty will be punished.

On your answer sheet,write down following Honor Pledge with your signature:

“I affirm that I will not give or receive any unauthorized help on this exam,and that all work will be my own.” .

Please make sure that you must justify all your answers and show the steps you have taken. Also,when you draw graphs,please make  sure to label the axis,functions,and points you specified.Missing labels will result in points losses.

Instruction for Reference

Since it is an open-book exam,I ask you to provide references for all of your steps to all of your answers(except for trivial ones).For  instance,when you apply Lagrangian Erpression into a constraint optimization problem,you need to refer to one of the learning  materials

you've studied.(For instance,page of your textbook or page of lecture slide)

It will take a bit of your time,but I expect that if you actually studied,you can locate where you should refer in a very short time.Thus,the purpose of this practice is to check whether your answers came from your learning.

1.Three Demand Curves

Consider a 2-good economy in which price of good x is pa and price of good y is py.

We assume that,for each x and y,marginal utility of consuming x and y are positive.

(a)Explain what positive marginal utility means with respect to a satiation point.

(b)Determine whether good x is normal or inferior good.

(c)Suppose  Determine  whether good x and y are  substitutes or complements.

(d)Can you determine whether a normal good y is price elastic or inelastic?

(e)Compare compensation variation and change in the consumer surplus from the decrease in price of x from ps to pa*.Explain the implication.

(f)Suppose   V(p*,P,I)=U₂.Can    you   draw   a   possible 

If you  can,then  draw  a  graph  of  x(px,P,U₂);otherwise  explain  why.

2. Excess Burden of Taxation

Consider 2-good economy in which a consumer has $20 to spend,prices of x and y are P=$0.5  and  py=$1.The  preference  of  the   consumer   is   represented   by

(a)Write down the consumer's budget constraint and illustrate it on a graph.

(b)Find the consumer's optimal consumption  bundle.Show your answer in a graph.

(c)From what you drawn in(b),argue why only the slopes of indifference curve and budget constraint are matter in this  case.

(d)Suppose that the government impose a tax of  $0.5 per unit on purchases  of x. Compute the tax revenues T from  the  consumer's  new  optimal  consumption  bundle.

(e)You may want to argue that tax scheme in(d)is harmful than the revenue T.How can you justify your argument?

(e)Can you suggest better tax scheme  than(d)?You  need to define  what is “better” .

3. Short takes

1. Shopping

There are two stores in the town,selling two goods x and y.Store 1 sells x at $2 and y at $10.Store 2 sells x at $4 and y at $5.Since they are far from each other,visiting both store costs $20 for transportation.(*for simplicity,visiting only one store costs nothing)
Draw carefully budget constraints of a consumer with $30 and a consumer with  $80.

2. Quasi-linear utility

U(x,y)=√T+y

Show that the income effect on good x is always zero.(as long as optimal consumption is an  interior  solution  of utility  maximization problem.)Relate with this result to compensating variation and equivalent variation with respect to a change  in  price  of x.

3.Chicken and Egg

Suppose that a consumer has convex Indifference Curves and he purchased 6 units of chicken and  10 units of egg in the last week.In this week,the price of chicken goes down but the price of egg goes  up.Suppose  there are no change in his utility  function.Budget

constraint of the last week and the this week intersect at (8,8).

Can he rationally consume 12 units of egg in this week?Justify your answer using a graph.

4.Duality and Elasticity

Consider two-good economy in which a consumer's preference is represented by U(x,y)= x°y°,where  a,β>0.The  consumer  faces  price(Pa,Py)for  x  and  y  with  income  of  I.

(a)Show that his preference is convex,and explain why we do care.

From  now   on,assume   a   =β=1.

(b)Set a corresponding utility maximization problem as a constrained optimization problem.You need to clearly state what is objective and constraint.

Then find the demand (x(px,Py,I),y(px,Py,I))for each good (as function of pa,Py,I).

(c)Find the indirect utility function as function of pa,Py,I.

(d)Find  the  compensated  demand(x*,yf)for  each  good  (as  function  of pa,Py,I)

(Note:NOT function of pa,Py,U.Think how we can  express U as a function of Px,Py,I.)

(e)Justify  your  answer  in(d), by solving corresponding expenditure minimization problem.

(f)Suppose  p=1,Py=1,I=10.Then consider a situation in which an increase in pa makes  p=2.Find  Price  Elasticity and Compensated Price Elasticity correspond to the situation.Explain a relationship between those two elasticities.





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