# Questions tagged [consumer-theory]

the study of consumer choice and its fundamental underpinnings in preferences and constraints.

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### Why can utility functions be continuous, and what does this imply for marginal utility?

I am studying microeconomics at the introductory undergraduate level and two related but distinct questions are puzzling me. First, my textbooks express utility functions as continuous functions by ...
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### Shortcuts for elasticity of substitution

How can I find the elasticity of substitution (I know the definition) if I know the utility function $u(x,y)$? I know its increasing in $x$ and $y$, etcetera, and has everything else you want from a ...
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### The mathematical proof of a monotonic utility transformation does not restrict the use of strictly decreasing monotonic functions. Why bar them?

I understand from an intuitive sense that decreasing monotonic transformations will skew the choices and ordinality. But mathematically the $F'(U(x,y))$ just cancels out each other out in numerator ...
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### A weaker definition of local non-satiation can also imply indifference “curve”

Let $u$ be a continuous utility function on $\mathbb R^2_+\setminus\{0\}$. Consider the following three conditions: Local non satiation says that for any $x \in X$ and $\epsilon > 0$, there exists ...
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### What is the iff condition for a preference with linear Engel curves (all Engal curves are linear)?

If we restrict the consumption at $\mathbb R_+^n$, then it seems like we are implicitly assuming that the Engel curve pass through the origin, so the iff condition would be homothetic preference. ...
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### Household utility functions

In basic consumer theory, there is an individual consumer who has a utility function, this function induces the individual's demand (given budget and prices), and this in turn determines the ...
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### Finding the optimal consumption bundle given the strictly concave utility function $v(x,y) = U(x) +y$?

I am also finding it difficult to understand what are the fundamental differences between analysing optimal bundles between concave and convex functions ? Does it also happen that the optimal bundle ...
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### How can i determine the homogeneity degree of Stone Gaery function? [closed]

I dont know how to demonstrate homogeneity degree of this function $(X-\alpha)^{\beta}(Y)^{1-\beta}$ Any idea? Thanks.
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### Do you know any paper that discuss the effect of the deterrence of fines of individuals' behaviours? What is the difference between a fine a fee?

According to Gneezy and Rustichini the presence of an extrinsic reward in activities with a level of intrinsic motivation (e.g. volunteering) reduces intrinsic motivation, thus it may determine ...
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### Market baskets: cross-border comparisons

The concept of a market or consumer basket is quite intuitive. I assume a market basket for a given country tells for which goods an average person spends how much of her money. To be able to compare ...
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### Is the price-quantity diagram fundamentally wrong?

I have wondered about the following diagram: which shows a relationship between Price (Preis) and quantity (Menge). The supply (Angebot) curve is rising with the amount; the demand (Nachfrage) is ...
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### Substitution effect when price of both goods change by the same percentage

I am trying to grasp the concept of income- and substitution effects. The way, I've understood it, the decomposition bundle is found, at the original indifference curve, where the slope equals that ...
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### How are preferences related to relative prices?

For instance, across regions of a country or between countries. Is that different preferences for food lead to distinct relative prices in different regions or countries? Or is it the other way ...
Monotonicity means the decision maker prefer more goods than less. It is not mentioned in textbook that SARP and GARP preasumed monotonicity. GARP: if $a$ is indirectly revealed preferred to $b$, ...