QUESTION FIVE: CONSUMPTION UNDER UNCERTAINTY (a) What does it mean for consumers to maximize expected utility? Can you think of a case in which a person might not maximize expected utility? (b) As the owner of a family farm whose wealth is $250,000, you must choose between sitting this season out and investing last year's earnings ($200,000) in a safe money market fund paying 5.0 percent or planting summer com. Planting costs $200,000, with a six-month time to harvest. If there is rain, planting summer corn will yield $500,000 in revenues at harvest. If there is a drought, planting will yield $50,000 in revenues. As a third choice, you can purchase AgriCorp drought-resistant summer corn at a cost of $250,000 that will yield $500,000 in revenues at harvest if there is rain, and $350,000 in revenues if there is a drought. You are risk averse, and your preference for family wealth (W) is specified by the relationship U(W) = √W. The probability of a summer drought is 0.30, while the probability of summer rain is 0.70. Which of the three options should you choose? Explain.

QUESTION FIVE: CONSUMPTION UNDER UNCERTAINTY (a) What does it mean for consumers to maximize expected utility? Can you think of a case in which a person might not maximize expected utility? (b) As the owner of a family farm whose wealth is $250,000, you must choose between sitting this season out and investing last year's earnings ($200,000) in a safe money market fund paying 5.0 percent or planting summer com. Planting costs $200,000, with a six-month time to harvest. If there is rain, planting summer corn will yield $500,000 in revenues at harvest. If there is a drought, planting will yield $50,000 in revenues. As a third choice, you can purchase AgriCorp drought-resistant summer corn at a cost of $250,000 that will yield $500,000 in revenues at harvest if there is rain, and $350,000 in revenues if there is a drought. You are risk averse, and your preference for family wealth (W) is specified by the relationship U(W) = √W. The probability of a summer drought is 0.30, while the probability of summer rain is 0.70. Which of the three options should you choose? Explain.

Microeconomic Theory

12th Edition

ISBN:9781337517942

Author:NICHOLSON

Publisher:NICHOLSON

Chapter7: Uncertainty

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 7.7P

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