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Gregory Mankiw
Principles of
Microeconomics Sixth Edition
21
The Theory of Consumer
Choice Premium
PowerPoint
Slides by
Ron Cronovich
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2012 UPDATE
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In this chapter,
look for the answers to these questions:
• How does the budget constraint represent the
choices a consumer can afford?
• How do indifference curves represent the
consumer’s preferences?
• What determines how a consumer divides her
resources between two goods?
• How does the theory of consumer choice explain
decisions such as how much a consumer saves,
or how much labor she supplies?
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Introduction
Recall one of the Ten Principles from Chapter 1:
People face tradeoffs.
Buying more of one good leaves
less income to buy other goods.
Working more hours means more income and
more consumption, but less leisure time.
Reducing saving allows more consumption
today but reduces future consumption.
This chapter explores how consumers make
choices like these.
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The Budget Constraint:
What the Consumer Can Afford
Example:
Hurley divides his income between two goods:
fish and mangos.
A “consumption bundle” is a particular combination
of the goods, e.g., 40 fish & 300 mangos.
Budget constraint: the limit on the consumption
bundles that a consumer can afford
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ACTIVE LEARNING 1
The budget constraint
Quantity
of Fish
7
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ACTIVE LEARNING 2
Budget constraint, continued
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ACTIVE LEARNING 2
Answers, part A
Quantity A fall in income
Now, of Mangos shifts the budget
Hurley constraint down.
can buy
$800/$4
= 200 fish
or
$800/$1
= 800 mangos
or any
combination in
between. Quantity
of Fish
9
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ACTIVE LEARNING 2
Answers, part B
Hurley Quantity An increase in the
of Mangos
can still buy price of one good
300 fish. pivots the budget
constraint inward.
But now he
can only buy
$1200/$2 =
600 mangos.
Notice:
slope is smaller,
relative price of
fish is now only
2 mangos. Quantity
of Fish
10
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Preferences: What the Consumer Wants
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Four Properties of Indifference Curves
If the quantity of
B
fish is reduced,
the quantity of
A
mangos must be
I1
increased to keep
Hurley equally
happy. Quantity
of Fish
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Four Properties of Indifference Curves
Quantity Hurley’s
3. Indifference curves of Mangos indifference curves
cannot cross.
Suppose they did.
Hurley should prefer
B to C, since B has B
more of both goods.
Yet, Hurley is indifferent C A
between B and C: I1 I4
He likes C as much as A
(both are on I4).
He likes A as much as B Quantity
of Fish
(both are on I1).
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Four Properties of Indifference Curves
Quantity
4. Indifference curves of Mangos
are bowed inward.
A
Hurley is willing to give
up more mangos for a 6
fish if he has few fish
1
(A) than if he has
B
many (B). 2
1 I1
Quantity
of Fish
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The Marginal Rate of Substitution
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One Extreme Case: Perfect Substitutes
Perfect substitutes: two goods with
straight-line indifference curves,
constant MRS
Example: nickels and dimes
Consumer is always willing to trade
two nickels for one dime.
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Another Extreme Case: Perfect Complements
Perfect complements: two goods with
right-angle indifference curves
Example: Left shoes, right shoes
{7 left shoes, 5 right shoes}
is just as good as
{5 left shoes, 5 right shoes}
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Less Extreme Cases:
Close Substitutes and Close Complements
Quantity Quantity
of Coke of hot dogs19
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Optimization: What the Consumer Chooses
A is the optimum: Quantity
of Mangos
The optimum
the point on the
is the bundle
budget constraint
Hurley most
that touches the
1200 prefers out of
highest possible
all the bundles
indifference curve.
he can afford.
Hurley prefers B to A, B
but he cannot afford B. 600
A
marginal
price of fish
value of fish
(in terms of
mangos)
(in terms of 150 300 Quantity
mangos) of Fish
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The Effects of an Increase in Income
Quantity
of Mangos
An increase in
income shifts the
budget constraint
outward.
B
If both goods are A
“normal,” Hurley
buys more of each.
Quantity
of Fish
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ACTIVE LEARNING 3
Inferior vs. normal goods
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ACTIVE LEARNING 3
Answers
Quantity
of Mangos
If mangos are
inferior, the new
optimum will
contain fewer
mangos.
A
B
Quantity
of Fish
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The Effects of a Price Change
Quantity
Initially,
of Mangos
PF = $4
1200
PM = $1 initial
optimum
PF falls to $2 new
optimum
budget constraint 600
rotates outward, 500
Hurley buys
more fish and
fewer mangos.
150 300 600 Quantity
350 of Fish
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The Income and Substitution Effects
A fall in the price of fish has two effects on
Hurley’s optimal consumption of both goods.
Income effect
A fall in PF boosts the purchasing power of Hurley’s
income, allows him to buy more mangos and more
fish.
Substitution effect
A fall in PF makes mangos more expensive relative
to fish, causes Hurley to buy fewer mangos and
more fish.
Notice: The net effect on mangos is ambiguous.
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The Income and Substitution Effects
Initial Quantity
In this example,
optimum at A. of Mangos
the net effect
PF falls. on mangos is
negative.
Substitution effect:
from A to B,
buy more fish and A
fewer mangos. C
Income effect: B
from B to C,
buy more of both
Quantity
goods.
of Fish
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ACTIVE LEARNING 4
The substitution effect in two cases
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ACTIVE LEARNING 4
Answers
ButInthe substitution
both effect
graphs, the is bigger
relative pricefor substitutes
changes
bythan complements.
the same amount.
Quantity
of Pepsi Quantity of
hot dog buns
A
B B
Quantity Quantity
of Coke
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of hot dogs
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Deriving Hurley’s Demand Curve for Fish
A: When
B: $4, Hurley
WhenPPFF==$2, Hurley demands
demands 350
150 fish.
fish.
Quantity Price of
of Mangos Fish
A
$4
A
B
B
$2
DFish
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Application 1:
Giffen Goods
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Application 2: Wages and Labor Supply
Budget constraint
Shows a person’s tradeoff between consumption
and leisure.
Depends on how much time she has to divide
between leisure and working.
The relative price of an hour of leisure is the amount
of consumption she could buy with an hour’s wages.
Indifference curve
Shows “bundles” of consumption and leisure
that give her the same level of satisfaction.
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Application 2: Wages and Labor Supply
At the optimum,
the MRS between
leisure and
consumption
equals the wage.
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Application 2: Wages and Labor Supply
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Application 2: Wages and Labor Supply
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Application 2: Wages and Labor Supply
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Could This Happen in the Real World???
Cases where the income effect on labor supply is
very strong:
Over last 100 years, technological progress has
increased labor demand and real wages.
The average workweek fell from 6 to 5 days.
When a person wins the lottery or receives an
inheritance, his wage is unchanged—hence no
substitution effect.
But such persons are more likely to work fewer
hours, indicating a strong income effect.
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Application 3: Interest Rates and Saving
A person lives for two periods.
Period 1: young, works, earns $100,000
consumption = $100,000 minus amount saved
Period 2: old, retired
consumption = saving from Period 1
plus interest earned on saving
The interest rate determines
the relative price of consumption when young
in terms of consumption when old.
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Application 3: Interest Rates and Saving
Budget constraint shown is for 10% interest rate.
At the optimum,
the MRS between
current and future
consumption equals
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ACTIVE LEARNING 5
A change in the interest rate
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ACTIVE LEARNING 5
Answers
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Application 3: Interest Rates and Saving
In this case,
SE > IE and
saving rises
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Application 3: Interest Rates and Saving
In this case,
SE < IE and
saving falls
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CONCLUSION:
Do People Really Think This Way?
People do not make spending decisions
by writing down their budget constraints and
indifference curves.
Yet, they try to make the choices that maximize
their satisfaction given their limited resources.
The theory in this chapter is only intended as a
metaphor for how consumers make decisions.
It explains consumer behavior fairly well in many
situations and provides the basis for more
advanced economic analysis.
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S U M MA RY
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S U M MA RY
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S U M MA RY
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