Question: What factors have contributed to increased income

> What are the three major cost-reducing features of the Singapore health care system? Which one do you think has the largest effect on holding down the price of medical care in Singapore? What element of the Singapore system is shared by the Whole Foods a

> List and discuss five policies that DVC governments might undertake to promote economic development and expansion of income per capita in their countries?

> What were the objections made by opponents of the PPACA?

> How does the PPACA attempt to ensure affordable insurance for the poor?

> Go to Table 1 in the Last Word and compute the ratio of average wealth to median wealth for each of the 7 years. What trend do you find? What is your explanation for the trend? The Federal estate tax redistributes wealth in two ways: by encouraging chari

> Why is the PPACA’s attempt to extend insurance coverage to all Americans so costly? How does the PPACA attempt to obtain the funds needed to extend insurance coverage to all Americans?

> Why have tech firms near monopolies in their own sectors sought to compete with tech firms that have extremely strong, near-monopoly positions in other sectors?

> What was the central point that Bastiat was trying to make in his imaginary petition of the candlemakers?

> What are health savings accounts (HSAs)? How might they reduce the over-consumption of health care resulting from traditional insurance? How might they introduce an element of price competition into the health care system?

> Use a demand and supply model to explain the impact of occupational segregation or “crowding” on the relative wage rates and earnings of men and women. Who gains and who loses from the elimination of occupational segregation? Is there a net gain or a net

> What are the four categories used by the World Bank to classify nations on the basis of national income per capita? Identify two nations for each of the four categories.

> What groups benefit and what groups lose from the U.S. sugar subsidy program?

> Which of the following statements are true? Which are false? Explain why the false statements are untrue. a. More immigrants arrive to the United States each year illegally than legally. b. The majority of legal immigrants are men. c. Over half the new

> Can backward induction be readily applied when a sequential game is presented as a payoff matrix?

> Explain the differences among microcredit, conditional cash transfers, and unconditional cash transfers. Then explain how effective each policy has been.

> American apparel makers complain to Congress about competition from China. Congress decides to impose either a tariff or a quota on apparel imports from China. Which policy would Chinese apparel manufacturers prefer? a. Tariff. b. Quota.

> What is offshoring of white-collar service jobs and how does that practice relate to international trade? Why has offshoring increased over the past few decades? Give an example (other than that in the textbook) of how offshoring can eliminate some Ameri

> What are a. Preferred provider organizations and b. Health maintenance organizations? In your answer, explain how each is designed to alleviate the overconsumption of health care.

> Males under the age of 25 must pay far higher auto insurance premiums than females in this age group. How does this fact relate to statistical discrimination? Statistical discrimination implies that discrimination can persist indefinitely, while the tast

> On what basis were the airlines found guilty of violating antitrust laws in the Airline Tariff Publishing case? What was the remedy? By contrast, why might it be hard to prosecute algorithmic collusion, which also uses prices posted electronically?

> Does a progressive tax system by itself guarantee that resources will be redistributed from the rich to the poor? Explain. Is the tax system in the United States progressive, regressive, or proportional? Does the tax-spending system in the United States

> Assume that you borrow $5,000, and you pay back the $5,000 plus $250 in interest at the end of the year. Assuming no inflation, what is the real interest rate? What would the interest rate be if the $250 of interest had been discounted at the time the lo

> An American company wants to buy a television from a Chinese company. The Chinese company sells its TVs for 1,200 yuan each. The current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Chinese yuan is $1 = 6 yuan. How many dollars will the American company

> Suppose that the government of China is currently fixing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Chinese yuan at a rate of $1 = 6 yuan. Also suppose that at this exchange rate, the people who want to convert dollars to yuan are asking to conver

> If in a given year the indexes of prices received and paid by farmers were 120 and 165, respectively, what would the parity ratio be? Explain the meaning of that ratio.

> Which of the following best describes the United States’ level of health care spending as compared to that of other nations? a. The lowest of all nations. b. A bit lower than average. c. Average. d. A bit higher than average. e. The highest of all nation

> Why might a firm charged with violating the Clayton Act, Section 7, try arguing that the products sold by the merged firms are in separate markets? Why might a firm charged with violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act try convincing the court that none of

> Distinguish between the benefits-received and the ability-to-pay principles of taxation. Which philosophy is more evident in our present tax structure? Justify your answer. To which principle of taxation do you subscribe? Why?

> If the current market price rises, does current extraction increase or decrease? What if the future market price rises? Do these changes in current extraction help to ensure that the resource is extracted and used when it is most valuable?

> True or false. As a capitalist economy, the vast majority of U.S. national income flows to the owners of capital.

> What are the major economic functions of the interest rate? How might the fact that many businesses finance their investment activities internally affect the efficiency with which the interest rate performs its functions?

> A principal is worried that her agent may not do what she wants. As a solution, she should consider: a. Commissions. b. Bonuses. c. Profit sharing. d. All of the above.

> Many of the lowest-paid people in society--for example, short-order cook--also have relatively poor working conditions. Hence, the notion of compensating wage differentials is disproved.” Do you agree? Explain.

> Why might a firm making a large economic profit from its existing product employ a fast-second strategy in relationship to new or improved products? What risks does it run in pursuing this strategy? What incentive does a firm have to engage in R&D when r

> True or false. Potential rivals may be more likely to collude if they view themselves as playing a repeated game rather than a one-time game.

> Why is there so much advertising in monopolistic competition and oligopoly? How does such advertising help consumers and promote efficiency? Why might it be excessive at times?

> Suppose that the price elasticity for hip replacement surgeries is 0.2. Further suppose that hip replacement surgeries are originally not covered by health insurance and that at a price of $50,000 each, 10,000 such surgeries are demanded each year. a. S

> Which of the following policies would economists consider to be actions that a DVC government might take that would improve growth prospects? Select one or more of the following: a. Helping to extend the banking system to the rural poor. b. Passing high

> Because real capital is supposed to earn a higher return where it is scarce, how do you explain the fact that most international investment flows to the IACs (where capital is relatively abundant) rather than to the DVCs (where capital is very scarce)?

> Diagram a market in which the equilibrium dollar price of 1 unit of fictitious currency zee (Z) is $5 (the exchange rate is $5 =Z1). Then show on your diagram a decline in the demand for zee. a. Referring to your diagram, discuss the adjustment options

> Suppose that a Swiss watchmaker imports watch components from Sweden and exports watches to the United States. Also suppose the dollar depreciates, and the Swedish krona appreciates, relative to the Swiss franc. Speculate as to how each would hurt the Sw

> Suppose that the opportunity-cost ratio for watches and cheese is 1C ≡1W in Switzerland but 1C ≡4W in Japan. At which of the following international exchange ratios (terms of trade) will Switzerland and Japan be willing to specialize and engage in trade

> Why is a quota more detrimental to an economy than a tariff that results in the same level of imports as the quota? What is the net outcome of either tariffs or quota for the world economy?

> True or False. Research indicates that immigration causes large decreases in the average American wage.

> What is a “brain drain” as it relates to international migration? If emigrants are highly educated and received greatly subsidized education in the home country, is there any justification for that country to levy a “brain drain” tax on them? Do you see

> Ralph will consume any health care service just as long as its MB exceeds the money he must pay out of pocket. His insurance policy has a zero deductible and a10 percent copay, so Ralph only has to pay 10 percent of the price charged for any medical proc

> List the special characteristics of the U.S. health care market and specify how each affects health care problems.

> Why would increased spending as a percentage of GDP on, say, household appliances or education in a particular economy be regarded as economically desirable? Why, then, is there so much concern about rising expenditures as a percentage of GDP on health c

> In the taste-for-discrimination model, an increase in employer prejudice against African-American workers would cause the discrimination coefficient to and the demand curve for African-American labor to shift. a. Decrease; right. b. Decrease; left. c. I

> Because consumers as a group must ultimately pay the total income received by farmers, it makes no real difference whether the income is paid through free farm markets or through price supports supplemented by subsidies financed out of tax revenue.” Do y

> In the 1980s, PepsiCo Inc., which then had 28 percent of the soft-drink market, proposed to acquire the Seven-Up Company. Shortly thereafter the Coca-Cola Company, with 39 percent of the market, indicated it wanted to acquire the Dr Pepper Company. Seven

> True or false. The incidence of property taxes that are levied on rented houses and apartments is high—meaning that they are paid almost entirely by the landlords, who are billed by the government for those taxes.

> How do the top two categories of federal employment differ from the top two categories of local and state employment?

> Recall the model of nonrenewable resource extraction presented in Figure 19.7. Suppose that a technological breakthrough means that extraction costs will fall in the future (but not in the present). What will this do to future profits and, therefore, to

> Entrepreneurs are the residual claimants at their respective firms. This means that they: a. Only get paid if there is any money left over after all the other factors of production have been paid. b. Must bear the financial risks of running their firms.

> Here is the deal: You can pay your college tuition at the beginning of the academic year or the same amount at the end of the academic year. You either already have the money in an interest-bearing account or will have to borrow it. Deal, or no deal? Exp

> Manny owns a local fast-food franchise. Angel runs it for him. So in this situation, Manny is the ____________ and Angel is the ________________. a. Free rider; entrepreneur. b. Agent; principal. c. Principal; agent. d. Producer; consumer.

> Suppose that the United States has a Gini ratio of 0.41 while Sweden has a Gini ratio of 0.31. Which country has a more equal distribution of income? a. The United States. b. Sweden. c. They are actually equal.

> Have you ever worked for the minimum wage? If so, for how long? Would you favor increasing the minimum wage by a dollar? By two dollars? By five dollars? Explain your reasoning.

> A software company in Silicon Valley uses programmers (labor) and computers (capital) to produce apps for mobile devices. The firm estimates that when it comes to labor, MPL = 5 apps per month while PL = $1,000 per month. And when it comes to capital, MP

> To save money, some fast food chains are now having their customers place their orders at computer kiosks. Will the kiosks necessarily reduce the total number of workers employed in the fast food industry?  

> Learning how to use software takes time. So once customers have learned to use a particular software package, it is easier to sell them software upgrades than to convince them to switch to new software. What implications does this have for expected rates

> Collusive agreements can be established and maintained by: a. Credible threats. b. One-time games. c. Empty threats. d. First-mover advantage.

> Why might price collusion occur in oligopolistic industries? Assess the economic desirability of collusive pricing. What are the main obstacles to collusion? Speculate as to why price leadership is legal in the United States, whereas price-fixing is not.

> Compare a hypothetical DVC with a hypothetical IAC. In the DVC, average per capita income is $500 per year. In the IAC, average per capita income is $40,000 per year. If both countries have a savings rate of 10 percent per year, the amount of savings per

> As it relates to the vicious circle of poverty, what is meant by the saying “Some DVCs stay poor because they are poor”? Change the box labels as necessary in Figure 28.3 to explain rapid economic growth in countries such as South Korea and Chile. What f

> Suppose that the Fed is fixing the dollar-pound exchange rate at $2.50 = £1. If the Fed's reserve of pounds falls by £500 million, by how much would the supply of dollars increase, all other things equal?

> Return to problem 3 and assume that the exchange rate is fixed at 110. In year 1, what would be the minimum initial size of the U.S. reserve of loonies such that the United States could maintain the peg throughout the year? What about the minimum initial

> In 2015, Forbes magazine listed Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, as the richest person in the United States. His personal wealth was estimated to be $76 billion. Given that there were about 322 million people living in the United States that year,

> Suppose that a delivery company currently uses one employee per vehicle to deliver packages. Each driver delivers 50 packages per day, and the firm charges $20 per package for delivery. a. What is the MRP per driver per day? b. Now suppose that a union

> Generally speaking, how is the dollar price of euros determined? Cite a factor that might increase the dollar price of euros. Cite a different factor that might decrease the dollar price of euros. Explain: “A rise in the dollar price of euros necessarily

> Suppose that the opportunity-cost ratio for fish and lumber is 1F ≡ 1L in Canada but 2F ≡ 1L in Iceland. Then should specialize in producing fish while should specialize in producing lumber. a. Canada; Iceland. b. Iceland; Canada.

> What is an export supply curve? What is an import demand curve? How do such curves relate to the determination of the equilibrium world price of a tradable good?

> Migration between North Korea and South Korea has been prohibited since the end of the Korean War in 1953. South Korea is now much richer than North Korea and has a much higher marginal product of labor and a much higher wage rate than North Korea. If wo

> Suppose initially that immigrant labor and native-born labor are complementary resources. Explain how a substantial immigration might change the demand for native-born workers, altering their wages. (Review the relevant portion of Chapter 14 if necessary

> By increasing demand, health insurance creates: a. A deadweight loss related to overconsumption. b. A deadweight loss related to underconsumption. c. Neither of the above.

> What are the main groups without health insurance?

> If women are crowded into elementary education and away from fire fighting, wages in fire fighting will tend to be than if women weren’t crowded into elementary education. a. Higher. b. Lower.

> Briefly discuss the major causes of income inequality. With respect to income inequality, is there any difference between inheriting property and inheriting a high IQ? Explain.

> Which of the following are elements of current U.S. farm policy? a. Farmers are free to choose how much to plant of any particular crop. b. Direct payments. c. Price supports. d. Countercyclical payments.

> Use quintiles to briefly summarize the degree of income inequality in the United States. How and to what extent does government reduce income inequality?

> Explain and evaluate: “Industry complains of the higher taxes it must pay to finance subsidies to agriculture. Yet the trend of agricultural prices has been downward while industrial prices have been moving upward, suggesting that on balance agriculture

> True or false. Economists believe that social regulation is an exception to the MB = MC rule because social regulation should in every case extend as far as possible in order to ensure safe products, less pollution, and improved working conditions.

> Suppose a proposed merger of firms would simultaneously lessen competition and reduce unit costs through economies of scale. Do you think such a merger should be allowed?

> The efficiency loss of imposing an excise tax is due to: a. Paying a higher price per unit. b. Producing and consuming fewer units.

> For state and local governments, what are the three most important sources of revenue and types of expenditure?

> Ingvar and Olaf are the only two fishermen in their area. Each has been assigned an ITQ that allows him to catch 20 tons of salmon. Ingvar’s MC of catching salmon is $6 per ton while Olaf’s MC of catching salmon is $7 per ton. If the price of salmon is $

> Suppose that you hear two people arguing about energy. One says that we are running out of energy. The other counters that we are running out of cheap energy. Explain which person is correct and why.

> As shown in Table 18.2, $1,000 invested at 10 percent compound interest will grow into $1,331 after three years. What is the present value of $2,662 in three years if it is discounted back to the present at a 10 percent compound interest rate? (Hint: $2,

> You are currently a worker earning $60,000 per year but are considering becoming an entrepreneur. You will not switch unless you earn an accounting profit that is on average at least as great as your current salary. You look into opening a small grocery

> Why is the supply of loanable funds upsloping? Why is the demand for loanable funds downsloping? Explain the equilibrium interest rate. List some factors that might cause it to change.

> Suppose that the demand for olive oil is highly inelastic. Also suppose that the supply of olive oil is fixed for the year. If the demand for olive oil suddenly increases because of a shortage of corn oil, you would expect a in the price of olive oil. a

> Contrast the voice mechanism and the exit mechanism for communicating dissatisfaction. In what two ways do labor unions reduce labor turnover? How might such reductions increase productivity?

> On average, 50-year old workers are paid several times more than workers in their teens and twenties. Which of the following options is the most likely explanation for that huge difference in average earnings? a. Older workers have more human capital an

> Suppose that a car dealership wishes to see if efficiency wages will help improve its salespeople’s productivity. Currently, each salesperson sells an average of one car per day while being paid $20 per hour for an eight-hour day. a. What is the current

> Assume a monopsonistic employer is paying a wage rate of Wm and hiring Qm workers, as indicated in Figure 15.8. Now suppose an industrial union is formed that forces the employer to accept a wage rate of Wc. Explain verbally and graphically why in this i

> Suppose the productivity of capital and labor are as shown in the accompanying table. The output of these resources sells in a purely competitive market for $1 per unit. Both capital and labor are hired under purely competitive conditions at $3 and $1, r

> Florida citrus growers say that the recent crackdown on illegal immigration is increasing the market wage rates necessary to get their oranges picked. Some are turning to $100,000 to $300,000 mechanical harvesters known as “trunk, shake, and catch” picke

> Which statement about market structure and innovation is true? a. Innovation helps only dominant firms. b. Innovation keeps new firms from ever catching up with leading firms. c. Innovation often leads to creative destruction and the replacement of esta

> Explain: “The success of a new product depends not only on its marginal utility but also on its price.”