elasticity Flashcards
elasticity
how responsive the demand/supply is to a change in price
price elasticity of demand
PED
the responsiveness of a change in demand to a change in price
PED formula
%change in quantity demanded/
%change in price
a price elastic good
- is very responsive to a change in price.
- the change in price leads to an even bigger change in demand.
numerical value for a price elastic good
PED is >1
a price inelastic good
has a demand that is relatively unresponsive to a change in price
numerical value for a price inelastic good
PED is <1
a unitary elastic good
has a change in demand which is equal to the change in price
numerical value for a unitary elastic good
PED= 1
a perfectly inelastic good
has a demand which does not change when price changes
numerical value of a perfectly inelastic good
PED=0
a perfectly elastic good
has a demand which falls to zero when price changes
numerical value of a perfectly elastic good
PED= infinity
elasticity of demand and tax revenue
the burden of an indirect tax will fall differently on consumers and firms, depending on if the good has an elastic or inelastic demand.
which curve do the taxes shift
elasticity of demand & tax rev
shifts the supply curve, not the demand curve
inelastic demand & tax revenue
- if a firm sells a good with an inelastic demand, they are likely to put most of the tax burden on the consumer, because they know a price increase will not cause demand to fall significantly.
inelastic demand & tax revenue
diagram
an increase in tax will decrease supply from S1 to S3, which increases price from P1 to P3, and therefore demand contracts from Q1 to Q3.
this is the most effective for raising government revenue
elastic demand & tax revenue
- if a firm sells a good with an elastic demand, they are likely to take most of the tax burden upon themselves. this is because they know if the price of the good increases, demand is likely to fall, which will lower their overall revenue.
is it effective for raising government revenue?
elastic demand & tax revenue
not as effective, but if a government wants to reduce the demand of a particular good, it is effective.
demand will fall significantly, from Q1 to Q2.
elasticity of demand and subsidies
it has the opposite effect of a tax because it increases supply. the benefit of the subsidy can go to both the producer, in the form of increased revenue (c-p1), or to the consumer, in the form of lower prices (p1-p2)
subsidy
a subsidy is a payment from the government to firms to encourage the production of a good and to lower their average costs.
PED and total revenue formula
-total revenue= average price x quantity sold
TR=PxQ
PED and total revenue
inelastic demand
the firm can raise its price, and quantity sold will not fall significantly. this will increase total revenue
PED and total revenue
elastic demand
if the firm raises its price, quantity sold will fall. this will reduce total revenue
income elasticity of demand
is the responsiveness of a change in demand to a change in income
formula for income elasticity of demand
YED= %change in quantity demanded/
%change in income
inferior good
are those which see a fall in demand as income increases.
for example, the value options at supermarkets could be seen as inferior.
as income increases, consumers switch to branded goods.
YED <0
examples of inferior goods
cheap substitutes
-smart price tinned beans, instant noodles