📚 Learning Guide
Consumer Utility Maximization
hard

How does the income effect influence a consumer's choice when considering diminishing marginal utility under a budget constraint?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

It causes consumers to buy only luxury goods.

B

It leads consumers to adjust their consumption patterns to maximize utility within their budget.

C

It makes consumers indifferent to changes in prices.

D

It eliminates the need for budgeting altogether.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

The income effect explains how a change in a consumer's income affects their purchasing decisions, particularly when considering their budget. When a consumer has a limited budget, they must choose how to spend their money to get the most satisfaction, or utility, from their purchases. As they buy more of one good, they experience diminishing marginal utility, meaning each additional unit of that good gives less satisfaction than the previous one. For example, if someone buys more slices of pizza, the first slice might taste amazing, but the fifth slice might not be as enjoyable. Therefore, if their income increases, they might buy more of both pizza and salad to maximize their overall happiness, adjusting their choices based on how much satisfaction each food provides.

Detailed Explanation

The income effect helps people change what they buy to get the most satisfaction. Other options are incorrect because Some might think that the income effect means buying only expensive things; It's a common mistake to think that price changes don’t matter.

Key Concepts

budget constraint
income effect
diminishing marginal utility
Topic

Consumer Utility Maximization

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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