Income Changes

  

Categories: Econ, Tax

We usually don’t like change, but hey...sometimes it’s not so bad. Income changes = when income increases or decreases.

Income changes result in the “income effect,” which is how changes in income result in changes in buying behavior, and in the demand for goods.

For instance, a positive income change might mean we just increased our disposable income. With more fun money in our pockets, we’re likely to spend more money on “normal” goods...things like coffee, clothes, and luxury goods. With normal goods, demand for them goes up when income changes are positive. It’s normal to buy more of them when you can.

When income changes for the better, we’re also more likely to buy less inferior goods. With inferior goods, demand for them goes down with positive income changes. You might upgrade your bus commute to a car commute with higher income, which would make the bus an inferior good. Inferior goods become a thing of the past with enough positive income changes.

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Econ: What is Permanent Income?0 Views

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And finance Allah shmoop What is permanent income Oh win

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the lottery tap into a trust fund inherit the throne

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of some obscure but enormously wealthy country achieved tenure at

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some prestigious university Or maybe just get elected to the

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U S Senate Those situations cover one concept of a

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permanent income income that will be coming in forever no

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matter what you do In economics though the concept is

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more particular It's used to explain consumer spending patterns called

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the permanent income hypothesis The model assumes that a person

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will spend money according to what they think they're long

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term Average income will be In other words people get

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an idea in their head about how much they're likely

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to make going forward like off into the way distant

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future And that expectation then drives their spending activity So

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you're an economist we know dare to dream But you're

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not just a run of the mill On the one

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hand and on the other hand type of economists you're

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a very confident economist Brash brazen impertinence You just graduated

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and Culinary Academy I'll steal You are one hundred percent

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without a doubt Definitely convinced you're one day going to

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win that million dollar Nobel Prize in economics You're positive

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you're gonna win that dough someday Yeah So by permanent

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income theory you count that number in your permanent income

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Well you're twenty three now fresh out of Jackie Con

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tech and cool average life spans about seventy nine years

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That gives you about fifty six years to go divide

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a million bucks by fifty six And that's Ah seventeen

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grand dish extra that you Khun spend each year Well

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you'll have to borrow the money for now at least

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until you get a call from Sweden Another example You

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work in a factory that makes leashes and collars They're

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for pet ducks You make fifty grand a year Is

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a quality control inspector in the RND department You spend

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your days out back by the scientifically designed man made

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lake leading ducks along with the experimental leashes You assume

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you'll keep this basic salary for the foreseeable future Well

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under the permanent income hypothesis is you've assumed a permanent

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income is fifty grand You'll spend up to that level

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news You're eccentric Uncle decides he wants to give away

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his worldly belongings and move to a Buddhist commune in

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Mongolia Your share Five grand Okay so this particular year

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you brought in fifty five thousand right You've got your

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usual fifty grand for your job the ducklings factory and

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an additional one time bonus amount of five grand from

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your uncle Well someone supporting the permanent income hypothesis would

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expect you to save the five grand from your uncle

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Your uncle has moved to the Buddhist com unit Doesn't

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any other sickly or weird uncles Point is the five

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grand gift is not likely to repeat your perception of

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your long term permanent income has not changed You still

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expect to earn fifty grand a year long term So

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you socked away the five grand you know for a

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rainy day Okay well then next year comes along and

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you get a promotion You're now head of the duck

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collar quality control department Your salary rises to eighty five

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thousand dollars and your expectations rise as well You assume

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you'll be head of the department or better forever least

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for the foreseeable future You don't say the additional thirty

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five grand in salary You're happy to spend it You

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trade in your Yaris that thing or Prius Maybe for

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a Cadillac and you skipped the five dollar wine rack

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permanent income has changed Now you perceive eighty five thousand

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spend it accordingly Then you buy a diamond collar for

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