Economics Today A Canadian Perspective Macroeconomics, Canadian 1ST Ed By Roger LeRoy Miller
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Chapter 1
The Nature of Economics
Answers to Questions for Critical Analysis
AI: DECISION MAKING THROUGH DATA Why do you suppose that economists sometimes disagree about whether to classify as a microeconomic or macroeconomic endeavor the application of big data analytics to massive volumes of information encompassing virtually all of a nation’s industries and interactions among those industries? Because big data analytics uses such massive volumes of information, which can encompass virtually all a nation’s industries and interactions among those industries, it seems as if the endeavor is a macroeconomic application (large scale). However, in many cases, this big data just represents a small part of the economy, which could be perceived as a microeconomic application (individual scale or sub-scale). THE INCENTIVES TO ATTEND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION (P. 7) Sometimes adults tell young people to “get all the education you can get.” Does this mean that you should necessarily obtain an advanced degree? Under special circumstances, your answer to this Real Application question would be, yes. Those special circumstances would involve being able to obtain an advanced degree at zero cost to you and simultaneously not having any job opportunities as an alternative. Otherwise, you should look at how much more you would expect to earn per year if you complete an advanced degree program compared with what you could have earned working rather than spending more time in a university. Plus, you would have to consider the out-of-pocket costs of pursuing an advanced degree. ASSESSING WHETHER CHARITABLE DONATIONS REFLECT CARING FOR OTHERS OR FOR ONESELF How might the fact that the Canadian government allows larger tax deductions for some charitable donations than for others, how would this affect Canadian taxpayers’ incentives about how much to donate and to whom they direct their donations? Canadian taxpayers are likely to donate to charities that will both help others and those in which will make them better off (either through a tax deduction or a charitable gift). If the government allows larger tax deductions for some charitable donations over others, taxpayers are likely to donate more to the charities where they receive a larger benefit (tax deduction). GETTING DIRECTIONS In what way do small talk and gossip represent the use of simplifying assumptions? Gossip and small talk usually deal with other persons or situations of interest to the persons engaged in the conversation. Often the people who are talking choose to leave out details which they consider unimportant or information that do not support their position. The interpretation of the situation or the behaviour of the person being talked about will be affected by which details are omitted. . 1
Solutions Manual for Roger LeRoy Miller • Economics Today, 1st Canadian Edition
Economics in Your Life
GOVERNMENT PROVIDES INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES (ZEV). For Critical Thinking Overall, does it appear that the incentive provided to purchase ZEV arise from the application of centralized command and control, the price system, or a mix of the two? Explain your reasoning. It appears that the government incentive provided to purchase ZEV is a mix of the two or a mixed economy. The market will determine what and how much ZEVs to produce. The government incentive or consumer subsidy will decrease the ZEV price and make the purchase more attractive to consumers. Real Application Assume that you decide to buy a ZEV. Should you take advantage of the incentive? Because the only cost to you, is your time to fill out the government application, you should definitely take advantage of the incentive. Assuming you comply with the government requirements you will benefit paying a lower price for your ZEV.
Issues & Applications
WHY EDUCATION AND FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE HELPS TO EXPLAIN WHY WOMEN ARE DELAYING MARRIAGE AND WHY FEWER WOMEN ARE MARRIED For Critical Thinking Why do you think that the prevalence of marriages by women to higher-income-earning partners has remained relatively steady in recent years? (Hint: More higher-income-earning partners have completed more years of education and have more stable employment prospects than those who earn less.) The argument states that women choose to marry out of self-interest and will marry a partner that will be able to provide financially for the household. If women’s interests and actions do not change, then the prevalence of marriages to higher-income-earning partners should remain relatively steady. Real Application Currently, a larger percentage of women are obtaining advanced degrees than are men. What are some of the real-world implications of this trend with respect to marriage? Women with advanced degrees typically do not seek out spouses who have little or no education past high school. One might predict, that there will be a higher percentage of marriages among men and women who have advanced degrees.
Answers to End-of-Chapter Questions
1-1.
Define economics. Explain briefly how the economic way of thinking—in terms of rational, self-interested people responding to incentives—relates to each of the following situations. a. A student deciding whether to purchase a textbook for a particular class b. Government officials seeking more funding for mass transit through higher taxes c. A municipality taxing hotel guests to obtain funding for a new sports stadium . 2
Chapter 1 The Nature of Economics Economics is the study of how individuals allocate limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants. a. Among the factors that a rational, self-interested student will consider are her income, the price of the textbook, her anticipation of how much she is likely to study the textbook, and how much studying the book is likely to affect her grade. b. A rational, self-interested government official will, for example, recognize that higher taxes will raise more funds for mass transit while making more voters, who have limited resources, willing to elect other officials. c. A municipality’s rational, self-interested government will, for instance, consider that higher hotel taxes will produce more funds if as many visitors continue staying at hotels, but that the higher taxes will also discourage some visitors from spending nights at hotels. 1-2.
Some people claim that the “economic way of thinking” does not apply to issues such as health care. Explain how economics does apply to this issue by developing a “model” of an individual’s choices.
This issue involves choice and, therefore, can be approached using the economic way of thinking. In the case of health care, an individual typically has an unlimited desire for good health. The individual has a limited budget and limited time, however. She must allocate her budget across other desirable goods, such as housing and food, and must allocate her time across waiting in a physician’s office, work, leisure, and sleep. Hence, choices must be made in light of limited resources. 1-3.
Does the phrase “unlimited wants and limited resources” apply to both a low-income household and a middle-income household? Can the same phrase be applied to a very high-income household?
Because wants are unlimited, the phrase applies to very high-income households as well as lowand middle-income households. Consider, for instance, a household with a low income and unlimited wants at the beginning of the year. The household’s wants will still remain unlimited if it becomes a high-income household later in the year. 1-4.
In a single sentence, contrast microeconomics and macroeconomics. Next, categorize each of the following issues as a microeconomic issue, a macroeconomic issue, or not an economic issue. a. The national unemployment rate b. The decision of a worker to work overtime or not c. A family’s choice to have a baby d. The rate of growth of the money supply e. The national government’s budget deficit f. A student’s allocation of study time across two subjects
Microeconomics is the study of individual decision making, whereas macroeconomics examines the aggregate behaviour of the entire economy. a. macroeconomics b. microeconomics . 3
Solutions Manual for Roger LeRoy Miller • Economics Today, 1st Canadian Edition c. d. e. f. 1-5.
microeconomics macroeconomics macroeconomics microeconomics
One of your classmates, Sally, is a hardworking student, serious about her classes, and conscientious about her grades. Sally is also involved, however, in volunteer activities and an extracurricular sport. Could Sally be displaying rational behaviour? Based on what you read in this chapter, construct an argument supporting the conclusion that she is.
Sally is displaying rational behaviour if all of these activities are in her self-interest. For example, Sally likely derives intrinsic benefit from volunteer and extracurricular activities and may believe that these activities, along with good grades, improve her prospects of finding a job after she completes her studies. Hence, these activities are in her self-interest even though they reduce some available study time. 1-6.
Recently, a bank was trying to decide what fee to charge for “expedited payments”— payments the bank would transmit with extra speed so that customers could avoid late fees on cable TV bills, electric bills, and the like. To try to determine what fee customers were willing to pay for expedited payments, the bank conducted a survey. It was able to determine that many of the people surveyed already paid fees for expedited payment services that exceeded the maximum fees they said they were willing to pay. How does the bank’s finding relate to economists’ traditional focus on what people do, rather than what they say they will do?
This example illustrates that what people say they will do does not actually correspond to what matters in the economy, which is what they actually do. 1-7.
Explain, in your own words, the rationality assumption, and contrast it with the assumption of bounded rationality proposed by adherents of behavioural economics.
The rationality assumption states that people do not intentionally make choices that leave them worse off. The bounded rationality hypothesis suggests that people are almost, but not completely, rational. 1-8.
Why does the assumption of bounded rationality suggest that people might use rules of thumb to guide their decision making instead of considering every possible choice available to them?
The bounded rationality hypothesis indicates that because people cannot study every possible alternative available to them, they consider only the most obvious apparent choices. They find easy ways of deciding which of these obvious choices to select, and according to the hypothesis, these methods are simple rules of thumb.
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