(a)
Explain how much Ms. N consumes at each period.
(a)
Explanation of Solution
Given information:
Utility function of Ms. N is
Budget constraint is $120,000.
Calculation:
Generally, consumers allocate their income for each of consumption. Therefore, the MRS (Marginal Rate of Substitution) between any two different periods is one plus rate of interest. The given up amount in order to obtain another commodity to maintain same level of utility or marginal rate of substitution between period 1 and 2 is
The consumption bundle purchased in each period is equal, which is
Marginal Rate of Substitution (MRS): Marginal Rate of Substitution represents the rate at which an individual can give up some amount of a commodity in order to obtain another commodity while maintaining the same level of utility.
(b)
Explain how much Mr. D consumes in each period.
(b)
Explanation of Solution
Given information:
Utility function of Mr. D is
Budget constraint is $120,000.
Calculation:
The marginal rate of substitution between period 1 and 2 is
The person considers that the value of present consumption is twice as the future consumption and valued future consumption equally. This written as follows:
Substitute Equation (2.B) and (2.C) in Equation (2.A) for C1 and C3, respectively to calculate the value of C2.
Mr. D has $30,000 as wealth in period C2.
Equation (2.C) reveals that the value of time period C3 is equal to C2. Thus, the wealth in period C3 is $30,000.
Equation (2.B) reveals that the value of time period C1 is equal to 2C2. Thus, the wealth in period C1 is $60,000
Marginal Rate of Substitution (MRS): Marginal Rate of Substitution represents the rate at which an individual can give up some amount of a commodity in order to obtain another commodity while maintaining the same level of utility.
(c)
Explain how much Mr. D consumes in period 2 and period 3.
(c)
Explanation of Solution
Given information:
Utility function of Mr. D in period 2 is
Calculation:
The person wealth in period 1 (C1) is $60,000. Thus, the total wealth for period 2 and 3 is $60,000. This can be written as follows:
The person considers that the value of present consumption is twice as the future consumption. This written as follows:
Substitute Equation (5) in Equation (4) for C2 to calculate the value of C3. This can be written as follows:
The value of C3 is $20,000.
Substitute the value of C3 in Equation (4) to calculate the value of C2.
The value of C2 is $40,000. Thus, the person changed his plan from period 1 to period 2 which indicates the time inconsistent.
(d)
Calculate the value of different time periods.
(d)
Explanation of Solution
The person wealth in period 1 (C1) is $60,000. Thus, the total wealth for period 2 and 3 is $60,000. This can be shown in Equation (4) as
Substitute Equation (2.C) in Equation (4) for C2 to calculate the value of C3. This can be written as follows:
The value of C3 is $30,000. Since C2 is equal to C3, the value of C2 is $30,000.
However, in period 2, the value of C2 is $40,000 and the value of C3 is $20,000. The person should follow the original consumption plan in order to avoid the consumption constraint. This selection of consumption plan is an example of Laibson’s pull-of-instant-gratification model. Thus, it shows that the person face time inconsistent preference and constraining the person’s future choice made him better off.
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