Book cover for Principles of Microeconomics for AP® Courses

Principles of Microeconomics for AP® Courses

Steven A. Greenlaw, David Shapiro, Timothy Taylor

ISBN #9781947172449

2nd Edition

707 Questions

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Summary

Learning Objectives

Key Concepts

Example Problems

Explanations

Common Mistakes

Summary

This section examines government policies aimed at reducing income inequality by addressing both poverty and the distribution of income. It explains how measures such as the poverty line, safety net programs (TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, EITC), and redistribution strategies function to assist the poor while considering the disincentives created by the poverty trap. Additionally, it explores measurement techniques like quintiles and the Lorenz curve, and discusses tradeoffs between lowering inequality and maintaining incentives for production. Proper policy design can potentially improve equality without significantly harming economic output.

Learning Objectives

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Key Concepts

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Example Problems

Example 1

Describe how each of these changes is likely to affect poverty and inequality: a. Incomes rise for low-income and high-income workers, but rise more for the high-income earners. b. Incomes fall for low-income and high-income workers, but fall more for high-income earners.

Example 2

Jonathon is a single father with one child. He can work as a server for $6 per hour for up to 1,500 hours per year. He is eligible for welfare, and so if he does not earn any income, he will receive a total of $10,000 per year. He can work and still receive government benefits, but for every $1 of income, his welfare stipend is $1 less. Create a table similar to Table 14.4 that shows Jonathan’s options. Use four columns, the first showing number of hours to work, the second showing his earnings from work, the third showing the government benefits he will receive, and the fourth column showing his total income (earnings + government support). Sketch a labor-leisure diagram of Jonathan’s opportunity set with and without government support.

Example 3

Imagine that the government reworks the welfare policy that was affecting Jonathan in question 1, so that for each dollar someone like Jonathan earns at work, his government benefits diminish by only 30 cents. Reconstruct the table from question 1 to account for this change in policy. Draw Jonathan’s labor-leisure opportunity sets, both for before this welfare program is enacted and after it is enacted.

Example 4

We have discovered that the welfare system discourages recipients from working because the more income they earn, the less welfare benefits they receive. How does the earned income tax credit attempt to loosen the poverty trap?

Example 5

How does the TANF attempt to loosen the poverty trap?

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Step-by-Step Explanations

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Common Mistakes

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