Elasticity (L12) Flashcards
Price elasticity of demand
Measures the responsiveness of demand given a change in price
When is demand price elastic?
When a change in price causes a proportionately larger change in demand.
When is demand price in elastic
When a change in price causes a proportionately smaller change in demand
Number of substitutes
The more substitutes a product has, the greater the degree of consumer switching will be when there is a price change (more substitutes more elastic demand that a product has)
Necessity/luxury
If a product is considered a necessity demand is more likely to be price inelastic as people require the product no matter what the price is.
Addictive ness
The more addictive a product is the more price inelastic demand will be
Time
Time gives consumers the opportunity to find alternatives. Greater time period= more price elastic demand is
Proportion of income spent on the product
The greater the proportion of income spent on the product the less able consumers will be to afford any price increases so the greater the proportion of income spent on a product the more price elastic demand will be
Problem: assumptions about the behaviour of economic agents must be made to create economic models. What assumptions should economists make?
Solution: assumptions can be made with deduction (classical, neoclassical) or induction (behavioural,Keynesian school) collect evidence
Classical and neoclassical economics, decision makers are…
Assumed to be rational
Price inelastic
Demand doesn’t change as much even if prices increase, because supply doesn’t increase
Price elasticity of demand
Percentage change in quantity demand / percentage change in price
Elastic
1
Inelastic
0
Unitary
1
Perfectly
0
Price elasticity of supply
Measures the responsiveness of supply given a change in price
Supply is price elastic when
A change in price causes a proportionately larger change in supply.
If a change in price causes a proportionately smaller change in supply it’s…
Price inelastic
The greater the amount of time required to produce the product…
The more price inelastic supply will be so firms can respond to price changes rapidly.
Greater spare capacity
More price elasticity as there are factors of production available to be used in production. Price rise, they’d respond w increase in production
More finished goods available
More price elasticity as firms will be able to respond to a price rise by releasing some/all stocks onto the market straight away.
More time
Gives firms the opportunity to expand or reduce production
If the product is more perishable
The harder it is to build up stocks of it, the more price inelastic it is