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Chapter 1: Q. 1.1 (page 1)
Discuss the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics.
Microeconomics is the study of the individual.
Macroeconomics is the study of the economy as a whole.
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Evaluate the role that rational self-interest plays in economic analysis.
Maneesha has completed an analysis of the market for prescription medication. She has determined that the policymaker should act to prevent an increase in the price of this drug on the grounds that the mainly elderly consumers of the medication already have spent their lives paying too much for pharmaceuticals. They ought not to have to pay higher prices, Maneesha has concluded, so the government should act to halt any further price increases in the market. Has Maneesha applied positive or normative economic analysis?
How will the long-run adjustment of Egyptian cotton supply from the elimination of the subsidy likely affect the number of suppliers - that is, Egyptian cotton farmers? Explain.
For each of the following approaches that an economist might follow in examining a decision-making process, identify whether the approach relies on the rationality assumption or on the assumption of bounded rationality:
(a) An economic study of the number of online searches that individuals conduct before selecting a particular item to purchase online presumes that people are interested only in their own satisfaction, pursue their ultimate objectives, and consider every relevant option.
(b) An economist seeking to predict the effect that an increase in a state's sales tax rate will have on consumers' purchases of goods and services resumes that people are limited in their ability to process information about how the sales-tax-rate increase will influence the after-tax prices those consumers will pay.
(c) To evaluate the impact of an increase in the range of choices that an individual confronts when deciding among devices for accessing the Internet, an economic researcher makes the assumption that the individual is unable to take into account every new Internet-access option available to her.
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. Is Sally displaying rational behavior? Based on what you read in this chapter, construct an argument supporting the conclusion that she is.
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