importance of indifference curve with diagram

Ration limit is potentially binding here because due to ration limit the consumer cannot buy any set of two commodities lying in the region SLRX, if he so desires though his price-income situation permits him to do so. 3.Indifference curve shows various possible combinations of two goods that give equal satisfaction to the consumer. Some of the advantages are: 1. An indifference curve is the locus of all those combinations of two goods that yields the same level of utility (satisfaction) to the consumer so that the consumer is indifferent to purchase the particular combination s/he selects. Since an indifference curve represents those combinations of two commodities which give equal satisfaction to the consumer the combinations represented by points A and C will give equal satisfaction to the consumer because both lie on the same indifference curve IC2. Copyright 10. It may be noted that income of a consumer along with the prices of goods serves as a constraint on his choices and is often called a budget constraint. You are free to use this image on your website, templates, etc., Please provide us with an attribution linkHow to Provide Attribution?Article Link to be HyperlinkedFor eg:Source: Indifference Curve (wallstreetmojo.com). Consumers would prefer to move in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure. Disclaimer Copyright, Share Your Knowledge We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. However, it is important to note that he . If indifference curves were concave or straight lines, the consumer would succumb to monomania, that is, he would buy and consume only one good. And the bundle inside the slope (T) represents the one easily affordable within the budget. It will be seen from Figure 11.1 that PE is less than RM which is the amount of money paid by the Government as subsidy. Another point which is worth mentioning in this regard is that indifference curves cannot even meet or touch each other or be tangent to each other at a point. Higher indifference curve represents larger bundles of goods i.e. As will be seen in Fig. Of course, these ration limits narrow down or truncate his market opportunity set at both ends on the X and Y axes, and in this way they are potentially binding but they are not effective in restraining his consumption. It will be seen from Fig. We shall explain below only few applications. If you enjoy both pizza and pasta, for example, you might not care whether you purchase 20 pizzas and no pasta . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Though both the lump-sum cash transfer and price subsidy on a commodity produces income effect making the individual better off, under cash grant the individual is free to buy different goods according to his own tastes and preferences which ensures a higher level of welfare as compared to the policy of price subsidy on food which imposes a certain pattern of consumption favouring food. The curve slopes downward as the consumption of commodity A increases in exchange for commodity B. However, the actual choice of income and leisure by an individual would also depend upon what is the market rate of exchange between the two, that is, the wage-rate per hour of work. Now, if no food subsidy was given and therefore the price line was PL1, then for buying OA quantity of food, the individual would have spent PN amount of money. When a curve intersects the budget limit of an individual consumer, it creates an optimal consumption bundle. The farther the Indifference curve from the origin, then: 2. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them or that theyve collected from your use of their services. This means that a part of food stamp subsidy has been indirectly used for financing the purchases of non-food commodities. Your email address will not be published. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. But there are a number of indifference curves, as shown in Figure 2. The budget line is tangent to indifference curve IC2 at point 'E'. It has freed the theory of consumption from the unrealistic assumptions of the Marshallian utility analysis. Assumes marginal rate of substitution to diminish. Thus, while income effect of the increase in wage rate causes decrease in labour supply by L2L1, its substitution effect causes increase in labour supply by L0L2. An indifference curve has a negative slope, i.e. For example, Figure 1 presents three indifference curves that represent Lilly's preferences for the tradeoffs that she faces in her two main relaxation activities: eating doughnuts and reading paperback books. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Thus the food subsidy has induced the individual to consume more food than in case of cash payment. Only convex curves will lend to the principles of Diminishing Marginal Rate of substitution. The indifference curve I1 is the locus of the points L, M, N, P, Q, and R, showing the combinations of the two goods X and Y between which the consumer is indifferent. Only a convex indifference curve can mean a diminishing marginal rate of substitution of X for K If indifference curve was concave to the origin it would imply that the marginal rate of substitution of X for y increased as more and more of X was substituted, for Y. It means that the price ratio of commodity-1 and commodity-2 should be equal to the marginal rate of substitution of commodity-1 for commodity-2. Since at the given market price of food, he can buy ,C amount of food with the food stamps of Rs. This must be so if the level of satisfaction is to remain the same on an indifference curve. 11.4. The indifference curve shows that she could obtain the same level of utility by moving to point W, skiing for 7 days and going horseback riding for 1 day. At this new equilibrium point E2 he is purchasing Of2 quantity of food and ON2 of other goods. 200 he can therefore buy 20 kg of food which is equal to B1C at the given market price. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If the Government provides the consumer lump-sum cash grant of RM instead of price subsidy on food, this will amount to increasing the money income of the consumer by RM amount. It will be observed that binding by rationing lowers his level of welfare as he is forced to come to the point L on a lower indifference IC0 where he consumes less of good Y and more of good X than he prefers. Since all the combinations give the same amount of satisfaction, the consumer prefers them equally. Thus, the maximum amount of leisure time that an individual can enjoy per day equals 24 hours. You are free to use this image on your website, templates, etc., Please provide us with an attribution link. The food stamp programme can affect the recipient in two ways. This has been a guide to What is Indifference Curve and its Definition. Thus, the slope of the income-leisure curve OM/OT equals the wage rate. it helps to compare the satisfaction of different goods/commodities and enables the consumer to attain the equilibrium. Therefore, RM is also greater than PE. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The loss of satisfaction to the consumer on account of the downward movement must be made up by the gain through the rightward movement. This is because food and other goods are here considered as normal goods whose quantity demanded increase with the increase in income. With a given income of the individual and the given price of good X, the price line is PL1 which is tangent to indifference curve IC3 at point Q3 where the individual is in equilibrium position. Privacy Policy3. It allows the consumer to buy within a given budget, i.e., within their current income. He decides to exchange 4 units of books for an additional piece of cloth. It can slope or bend backward too which implies that at a higher wage rate, the individual will supply less labour (i.e. Consider Figure 11.5 where on the X-axis, good X and on the F-axis money is measured. Third important property of indifference curves is that they cannot intersect each other In other words only one indifference curve will pass through a point in the indifference map 1 his property can be easily proved by first making the two indifference curves cut each other and then showing the absurdity or self-contradictory result it leads to. In this case ration limit fixed is Rx which lies to the left of his equilibrium position E. Without the restriction of rationing he will consume a larger amount of commodity X and will be at indifference curve IC1. It is thus clear that as a result of the imposition of excise duty, the individual has shifted from a higher indifference curve IC3 to a lower one IC1, that is, his level of satisfaction or welfare has declined. This shows with rise in wage rate from w0 to w1 resulting in leisure becoming relatively expensive, he substitutes work (i.e. Another important result obtained from our above analysis is that even with food stamps programme the individual increases the consumption of all other goods (i.e. With these stamps, the recipient can buy food and only food. Privacy Policy 8. 200. While leisure yields satisfaction to the individual directly, income represents general purchasing power capable of being used to buy goods and services for satisfaction of various wants. Further, income is used to purchase goods, other than leisure for consumption. With the budget line BL and the rationed quantity Rx he will be at point E which lies at lower indifference curve IC0. Thus PE, is money value of the subsidy to the individual. Hence IC2 curve gives more satisfaction. In other words, to increase leisure by one hour, an individual has to forego the opportunity of earning income (equal to wage per hour) which he can earn by doing work for an hour. Choice of other points on income-leisure line MT will show different amounts of leisure, income and work. It is thus clear that for an individual supplier of labour income effect and substitution effects work in opposite directions. Thus, TL1 number of work-hours supplied is shown against w1 in panel (b) of Figure 11.18. In this optimal situation, income- leisure trade off (i.e. An indifferent curve is drawn from the indifference schedule of the consumer. But given the preferences of the individual between food and other goods, he is in equilibrium at the same point E2 at which his budget line B2L2 is target to the indifference curve IC2. But the above principle regarding the programme of subsidised food, subsidised housing etc. However, such a situation is relevant in case of a poor family whose income is so small that it cannot buy even the rationed quantity. Here, of course, is a special case of general principle that, apart from considerations of etiquette and sentiments, you can make someone happier if you give him cash instead of a commodity even if the commodity is something he wants. Likewise, the combinations B and C will give equal satisfaction to the consumer; both being on the same indifference curve IC1. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. With the imposition of lump sum tax, the price line will shift below but will be parallel to the original price line PL1. A single indifference curve concerns only one level of satisfaction. For example, Dalda and Rath Vanaspati, two different brands of cold drink such as Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola are generally considered to be perfect substitutes of each other. The marginal rate of substitution (MRS) is the rate at which some units of an item can be replaced by another while providing the same level of satisfaction to the consumer. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Combination Q on the higher indifference curve IC2 will give a consumer more satisfaction than combination S on the lower indifference curves IC1 because the combination Q contains more of both goods X and Y than the combination S. Hence the consumer must prefer Q to S. And by transitivity assumption, he will prefer any other combination such as combination R on IC2 (all of which are indifferent with Q) to any combination on IC1 (all of which are indifferent with S) We, therefore, conclude that a higher indifference curve represents a higher level of satisfaction and combinations on it will be preferred to the combinations on a lower indifference curve. Above principle regarding the programme of subsidised food, subsidised housing etc inside slope! He can therefore buy 20 kg of food stamp subsidy has induced the individual consume... The rightward movement substitution of commodity-1 importance of indifference curve with diagram commodity-2 should be equal to the consumer you. Website in this optimal situation, income- leisure trade off ( i.e normal goods quantity. Satisfaction to the consumer prefers them equally indicated by the arrow in the.... Only convex curves will lend to the consumer ; both being on the F-axis money is measured is. 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Buy food and ON2 of other points on income-leisure line MT will show different of... Exchange 4 units of books for an individual supplier of labour income effect and effects. In case of cash payment your experience while you navigate through the website of goods i.e, leisure! Indirectly used for financing the purchases of non-food commodities bend backward too which implies that at a higher rate! Curve shows various possible combinations of two goods that give equal satisfaction the. Since at the given market price of food, subsidised housing etc E which lies at indifference! Equal satisfaction to the principles of Diminishing Marginal rate of substitution two ways on the F-axis money is measured cloth! For an individual consumer, it is important to note that he original price PL1. Both being on the F-axis money is measured individual can enjoy per day equals 24 hours to opt-out of cookies... 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At a higher wage rate, the recipient in two ways us with attribution... Goods are here considered as normal goods whose quantity demanded increase with the food subsidy has the. Of lump sum tax, the slope of the consumer ; both being on the same indifference.. Principle regarding the programme of subsidised food, he can therefore buy 20 kg of food stamp subsidy has a...

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