ECON 2302

HOMEWORK PROBLEMS

           FOR PART 6

 

The purpose of doing these problems is to increase your understanding of the material.

It will help you on quizzes and exams. You do not have to turn in this work. I will not go

over these problems specifically in class. Read the assigned chapters and come to class.

Check on the completed work which is on reserve in the SCC library. After doing that,

if you still have difficulties, come to see me during my office hours.

                                                                                                ---- Dr. Cohick

 

1. Fill in the blanks in this table:

Number of workers hired

Quantity of output (Q)

Marginal Revenue (MR)

Marginal Physical Product (MPP)

Marginal Revenue Product (MRP)

1

10

5

10

 

2

18

4

8

 

3

24

3

6

 

4

28

2

4

 

 

2. Plot the following data on a graph in the space to the right, then answer the following questions.

Number of workers

Wage ($/hr)

MRP

1

10

22

2

10

18

3

10

14

4

10

10

5

10

6

6

10

2

a. Why does MRP decrease as the number of workers increases? ___________________

_______________________________________________________________________

b. A profit-maximizing firm would hire how many workers? ______________________

c. If wages rose to $14/hr and nothing else changed, what would the firm do? _________

_______________________________________________________________________

 

3. Fill out the following table:

Wage rate

Quantity of labor demanded

Is Labor Supply elastic or inelastic?

Is this segment of the labor market high-skill or low-skill?

Increases 10%

Decreases 30%

 

 

Increases 50%

Decreases 10%

 

 

Decreases 20%

Increases 5%

 

 

Decreases 50%

Increases 100%

 

 

 


 

4. Fill in the blank spaces in this table:

MPP of labor

Price of labor

MPP of capital

Price of capital

Should the firm add more labor or more capital?

30

$20

40

$12.50

 

50

$40

100

$50

 

100

$30

100

$40

 

 

 

5. Fill in the blank spaces in the table below and then draw the Lorenz Curve it shows.

Quintile

Income share (%)

Cumulative % of income

Cumulative % of households

Bottom 1/5

10

 

 

Second 1/5

12

 

 

Middle 1/5

22

 

 

Fourth 1/5

25

 

 

Highest 1/5

31

 

 

 

 

6. Fill in the blanks in this table:

Offered wage ($/hr)

Will Joe accept the job?

Economic rent

25

Yes

 

20

Yes

 

15

No

 

10

No

 

a. What is Joe’s reservation wage? ___________________________________________

b. Define economic rent. ___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

7. A mother (one child) is receiving $200 a week income maintenance welfare payment. She has a job opportunity paying $ 6.50/hr for a 5-day, 40-hour week. If she takes the job, she will have to pay $20/day child care. If she goes to work, she loses half of her welfare payment. Should she accept the job? __________ Why or why not? _________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________