--QUESTION OF INQUIRY--
"Use real-world examples to show why knowledge of YED is important to producers as well as how it helps us understand structural changes in the economy." (15)
"Now imagine your income increased by 20%, giving you an extra $2000 per week. Your budgetook at your usual shopping list of food items below and decide whether you would buy up to 3 more, up to 3 less, or the same amount of each item per month. Write the list and record your decisions."
Remember to ask yourself: "Do you have enough already?", "Do you really want more?", and "Do you want to replace some/all with something else?"
"Go to 'menti.com' and use the code 52626643 below to join, then input the changes you made."
"Write three sentences explaining one decision to buy more, one to buy less, and one to keep the same. You will be asked to share your reasoning, and if it helps, you can use some of these sentence starters."
"Clearly as income increases, the demand for some goods increases, decreases, or stays the same. For example...
"...my demand for snacks, stayed the same as despite being addictive, they were already quite cheap and they all taste the same to me, so I have always made sure I had enough anyway, so having extra money didn't make me want to go out and buy loads more or even replace the ones I already buy."
"I like it a lot and will get more of the same now that I can afford it."
"I didn't really want it before but couldn't afford alternatives."
"I've always wanted to try a better quality brand but couldn't afford it."
"Now that I can afford a better alternative, I won't buy it again."
"It was never my first choice brand, but it fit my budget, but now..."
"If I had more money, this wouldn't be in my cart."
"Cheap and cheerful... mostly because cheap."
Stretch challenge question(s): "Would your choices change if your income increased by 100%?", “Do you think foodstuff will become more or less relative to manufactured goods or services?”
"We have already studied PED, and we know the definition and formula off-by heart (专心致志地) right!, So can you 'infer/guess'(推断) the definition and formula for YED?
"YED refers to the r______of_______, to changes in _________. And is calculated by dividing the, _______ by the _______."
INCOME ELASTICITY OF DEMAND (YED) Is a measure of the RESPONSIVENESS OF DEMAND TO A CHANGE IN INCOME and involves DEMAND CURVE SHIFTS.
It PROVIDES INFORMATION on the DIRECTION OF THE CHANGE, (POSITIVE or NEGATIVE) as well as the SIZE OF THE CHANGE (ELASTIC or UNELASTIC)
"We know that the % Change in income from the survey above was +20%, but what about the % Change in Qd?, "Let's return to the results from the survey and work out the '% Change in Quantity demanded' for each item by assuming the quantity demanded of each item for the whole class before the income increase was 100 units each per week."
"For example if our survey showed that McDonald's quantity bought increased by 30 units then we would would calculate the YED like this: the % change in Qd would be 30/100*100 = +30%, then divide this by % change in income 20% to get 1.5"
"Do you notice anything about the items that have a YED greater than 1, or those less than 1?", "What about the ones that are negative?", "Any commonalities?"
--Use the mark scheme below to construct the 2-mark answer--
"Do you remember the impact of 'changes in income' from unit 2.1?" "What do you call a good that increases/decreases in demand when incomes rise/fall?" What is the link between the YED value and these type of goods"
When the YED > 0 Income elasticity of demand is POSITIVE, meaning DEMAND and INCOME change in the SAME DIRECTION (i.e. both increase or both decrease). A positive YED indicates that the good in question is A NORMAL GOOD.
When the YED < 0 Income elasticity of demand is NEGATIVE, meaning DEMAND and INCOME change in OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS (i.e. when income increases, demand decreases, and vice versa). A negative YED indicates that the good in question is AN INFERIOR GOOD.
When the YED is POSITIVE and also LESS THAN ONE it has INCOME INELASTIC DEMND (a % increase in income produces a SMALLER % increase in Qd. NECESSITIES are income inelastic goods. E.g. Food, clothing and housing..
When the YED is POSITIVE and also GREATER THAN ONE it has INCOME ELASTIC DEMAND (a % increase in income produces a LARGER % increase in Qd. LUXURIES are income elastic goods. E.g. Foreign holidays, private education, sports cars...
"Great!!! I now have more money in my pocket, and prices have stayed the same, so I'm buying more!"
When households have HIGHER INCOMES, assuming stable prices, their PURCHASING POWER INCREASES (in other words their REAL INCOME RISES), which means they are more likely to DEMAND MORE and vice versa. Those goods which are demanded more are called 'NORMAL GOODS'.
--INCOME RISES => INCREASE IN DEMAND => 'NORMAL GOOD'--
--INCOME FALLS => DECREASE IN DEMAND => 'NORMAL GOOD'--
E.G LUXURY GOODS, TECHNOLOGY, TRAVEL, PRIVATE EDUCATION...
When households have HIGHER INCOMES, assuming stable prices, their PURCHASING POWER increases, which means they are more likely to DEMAND MORE and vice versa. Those goods which are demanded LESS of are called 'INFERIOR GOODS'.
INCOME RISES => DECREASE IN DEMAND => 'INFERIOR GOOD'
INCOME FALLS => INCREASE IN DEMAND => 'INFERIOR GOOD'
E.G NECESSITY GOODS, RICE, DOMESTIC FLIGHTS...
"Using the guidelines below, insert the YED values that you worked out above into the mentimeter, code 59398320."
Note: If YED is '-2', then both scales shoud be '-2'.
Complete these sentences to show understanding.
"If the YED of a good is negative and > 1, then the good is referred to as an 'Income elastic inferior good', such as instant noodles. These goods tend to be classified this way because they are a cheap, yet filling necessity that people often buy because they can't afford better options; therefore, when incomes rise slightly, they usually can't wait to switch to healthier and tastier alternatives meaning there is a relatively large fall in demand.
"If the YED is negative and < 1, then..."
"If the YED is positive and > 1, then..."
"If the YED is positive and < 1, then..."
"Do you remember the impact of 'changes in income' on the demand curve from unit 2.1", "Do you think you can sketch a correctly labeled 'demand diagram' for each of your answers from part 1, showing the impact?".
--Use the mark scheme below to construct the 10-mark answer--
"Once upon a simpler time (2002), a rather handsome economics teacher took his talents to a city off the south coast of China, called Haikou, in Hainan. At that time recent development of the economy had seen incomes start to rise, and the locals responded by spending more and more on what they perceived as a very luxurious product, clearly with an income elastic demand, namely 'KFC.' Before long, the mighty McDonald's also opened its first branch—and the rest is history."
Question: "Do you think these restaurants still command the same level of YED today?", "Why/Why not?", "What's likely to have changed over time?"
ENGEL'S LAW is an economic relationship proposed by the statistician Ernst Engel in 1857. It suggests that as FAMILY INCOME INCREASES, the following is most often observed:
1) TOTAL $-SPENDING on 'FOODSTUFFS' INCREASES, however it takes up a smaller % of TOTAL INCOME. For example, when you earn $1,000 a month, you might spend $400 on food. That's 40% of your income. When you earn $5,000 a month, you spend $800 on food (fancier groceries, restaurants). That's only 16% of your income. In a Nutshell: Food is a basic need. You cover the basics first, and any extra income goes to other things.
2) TOTAL $-SPENDING on 'HOUSING AND CLOTHING' INCREASES, but stays PROPORTIONALLY THE SAME, as a % of TOTAL INCOME SPENT. For example, when you $1,000, you spend $300 on rent and clothes. That's 30% of your income. If you earn $5,000, you spend $1,500 on a nicer place and brand-name clothes. That's still 30% of your income. In a Nutshell: Your spending on lifestyle (home and wardrobe) tends to grow directly in line with your income.
3) As TOTAL $-SPENDING on 'EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE' INCREASES, however, while the % of TOTAL INCOME SPENT INCREASES. For example, when you earn $1,000, you might spend $50 on a doctor's co-pay. That's 5% of your income. if you earn $5,000, you might spend $750 on private health insurance, therapy, or college courses. That's now 15% of your income. In a Nutshell: As you get richer, you invest much more heavily in your future and your well-being (better education, better healthcare), and these become bigger financial priorities.
An 'ENGEL CURVE' is a graph that shows the relationship between DEMAND for a good (x-axis) and INCOME LEVEL (y-axis).
If the SLOPE of the curve is POSITIVE, (demand rises when income rises) the good is a NORMAL GOOD but if it is NEGATIVE, (demand falls when income rises) the good is an INFERIOR GOOD.
To sum up, it shows how INCOME LEVELS impact whether a good is considered a luxury, a necessity or an inferior good.
"With reference to Engel's law what type of business would you think of opening if the economy was booming, and you have just inherited some shop space in the local megamall?"
"What if the economy was in deep recession?"
"If incomes are growing we definatly want to invest/produce products and services that are income elastic so we can make more revenue!"
During an EXPANSION of the economy, knowing the YED is important as when incomes rise. Ideally, a PRODUCER/INVESTOR will wish to INVEST in a market for an INCOME ELASTIC good or service as it will be expanding at a faster rate than income. E.g. Bubble tea in Singapore.
"If incomes are falling we definatly want to invest/produce products and services that are inferior goods so we can make more revenue!"
During a RECESSION, knowing the YED is important as when incomes fall. markets for NORMAL GOODS suffer a loss of sales. especially those for INCOME ELASTIC goods which suffer the most, followed by markets for INCOME INELASTIC goods. While in contrast markets for NEGATIVE INFERIOR GOODS can even experience increases in sales.
"According to Engel's law, do you think a butcher will see a large increase in sales relative to a shoemaker, when incomes rise?", "What about an international school?"
Low-Income (Agricultural) Stage: A poor country has a low average income. Since people must eat to survive, a very large portion of the nation's total economic effort (its labor and capital) is dedicated to producing food. This is why the agricultural sector is the largest employer and contributor to GDP in the earliest stages of development. Industrialization & Manufacturing Stage: As the economy grows and average incomes rise (often starting with agricultural surpluses), the demand for food does not keep pace. According to Engel's Law, the demand for manufactured goods (like clothing, appliances, cars, and housing) and basic services grows much faster. Capital and labor are pulled into these more profitable, faster-growing sectors. This is the industrial revolution phase.
Service-Based Economy Stage: As incomes rise even further, the demand for services like healthcare, education, finance, tourism, and technology explodes. The share of manufacturing in employment often peaks and then declines (a phenomenon related to Baumol's Cost Disease), and the service sector becomes the dominant employer and GDP contributor.
This transition is visually represented by the Clark-Fisher model, which directly applies Engel's Law to show the shift in labor force from:
1) TOTAL $-SPENDING on 'FOODSTUFFS' INCREASES, however it takes up a smaller % of TOTAL INCOME. For example, when you earn $1,000 a month, you might spend $400 on food. That's 40% of your income. When you earn $5,000 a month, you spend $800 on food (fancier groceries, restaurants). That's only 16% of your income. In a Nutshell: Food is a basic need. You cover the basics first, and any extra income goes to other things.
Agriculture is the main part of the primary sector, and if you remember from the PED section, food is considered a NECESSITY, and most households already make sure they have close to sufficient amounts; hence, when incomes rise, the increase in demand tends to be relatively smaller and can therefore be considered INCOME INELASTIC.
"When an economy grows, why does the MANUFACTURING sector grow faster than income growth?
MANUFACTURED products (especially high-value items such as cars, televisions, computers, and so on) often have a YED that is greater than one (INCOME ELASTIC), as people desire new goods that they have never been able to afford before so that as society’s income grows, the demand for these products grows faster than income.
"When an economy grows why does the TERTIARY sector GROW FASTER than INCOME?"
Many services have even higher YEDs than manufactured goods, so the percentage increase in the demand for these is much larger.
HOW DOES ENGEL'S LAW EXPLAIN COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT ROUTES WHY LEAVE AGRICULTURE?
--Use the mark scheme below to construct the 15-mark answers--