Chapter 9: Income and Spending PDF

Item Item Item Etc. 9-2  Introduction One of the central questions in macroeconomics is why output fluctuates around its potential level In business cycle booms and recessions, output rises and falls relative to the tren...

Item Item Item Etc. 9-2  Introduction One of the central questions in macroeconomics is why output fluctuates around its potential level In business cycle booms and recessions, output rises and falls relative to the trend of potential output This chapter offers a first theory of these fluctuations in real output relative to trend Cornerstone of this model is the mutual interaction between output and spending: spending determines output and income, but output and income also determine spending The Keynesian model of income determination develops the theory of AD Assume that prices do not change at all and that firms are willing to sell any amount of output at the given level of prices AS curve is flat 9-3  AD and Equilibrium Output AD is the total amount of goods demanded in the economy: (1) Output is at its equilibrium level when the quantity of output produced is equal to the quantity demanded, or (2) When AD is not equal to output there is unplanned inventory investment or disinvestment: (3), where IU is unplanned additions to inventory If IU > 0, firms cut back on production until output and AD are again in equilibrium 9-4  The Consumption Function Consumption is the largest component of AD Consumption is not constant, but increases with income the relationship between between consumption and income is described by the consumption function If C is consumption and Y is income, the consumption function is (4), where and The intercept of equation (4) is the level of consumption when income is zero this is greater than zero since there is a subsistence level of consumption The slope of equation (4) is known as the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) the increase in consumption per unit increase in income 9-5 The Consumption Function [Insert Figure 9-1 here] 9-6  Consumption and Savings Income is either spent or saved a theory that explains consumption is equivalently explaining the behavior of saving More formally, (5) a budget constraint Combining (4) and (5) yields the savings function: (6) Saving is an increasing function of the level of income because the marginal propensity to save (MPS), s = 1-c, is positive Savings increases as income rises Ex. If MPS is 0.1, for every extra dollar of income, savings increases by $0.10 OR consumers save 10% of an extra dollar of income 9-7  Consumption, AD, and Autonomous Spending Now we incorporate the other components of AD: G, I, taxes, and foreign trade (assume autonomous) Consumption now depends on disposable income, (7) and (8) AD then becomes (9) where A is independent of the level of income, or autonomous 9-8 Consumption, AD, and Autonomous Spending [Insert Figure 9-2 here] 9-9  Equilibrium Income and Output Equilibrium occurs where [Insert Figure 9-2 here again] Y=AD, which is illustrated by the 45° line in Figure 9-2 point E The arrows in Figure 9-2 show how the economy reaches equilibrium At any level of output below Y0, firms’ inventories decline, and they increase production At any level of output above Y0, firms’ inventories increase, and they decrease production Process continues until reach Y0 9-10  The Formula for Equilibrium Output Can solve for the equilibrium level of output, Y0, algebraically: The equilibrium condition is Y = AD (10) Substituting (9) into (10) yields (11) Solve for Y to find the equilibrium level of output: (12) The equilibrium level of output is higher the larger the MPC and the higher the level of autonomous spending. 9-11  The Formula for Equilibrium Output Equation (12) shows the level of output as a function of the MPC and A Frequently we are interested in knowing how a change in some component of autonomous spending would change output Relate changes in output to changes in autonomous spending through (13) Ex. If the MPC = 0.9, then 1/(1-c) = 10 an increase in government spending by $1 billion results in an increase in output by $10 billion Recipients of increased government spending increase their own spending, the recipients of that spending increase their spending and so on 9-12  Saving and Investment In equilibrium, planned [Insert Figure 9-2 here again] investment equals saving in an economy with no government or trade In figure 9-2, the vertical distance between the AD and consumption schedules is equal to planned investment spending, I The vertical distance between the consumption schedule and the 45° line measures saving at each level of income at Y0 the two vertical distances are equal and S = I 9-13  Saving and Investment The equality between planned investment and saving can be seen directly from national income accounting Income is either spent or saved: Without G or trade, Putting the two together: With government and foreign trade in the model: Income is either spent, saved, or paid in taxes: Complete aggregate demand is Putting the two together: (14) 9-14  The Multiplier By how much does a $1 [Insert Table 9-1 here] increase in autonomous spending raise the equilibrium level of income? The answer is not $1 Out of an additional dollar in income, $c is consumed Output increases to meet this increased expenditure, making the total change in output (1+c) The expansion in output and income, will result in further increases process continues The steps in the process are shown in Table 9-1. 9-15  The Multiplier If we write out the successive rounds of increased spending, starting with the initial increase in autonomous demand, we have: (15) This is a geometric series, where c < 1, that simplifies to: (16) The multiple 1/(1-c) is the multiplier The multiplier = amount by which equilibrium output changes when autonomous aggregate demand increases by 1 unit The general definition of the multiplier is (17) 9-16  The Multiplier Figure 9-3 provides a graphical [Insert Figure 9-3 here] interpretation of the effects of an increase in autonomous spending on the equilibrium level of output The initial equilibrium is at point E, with income at Y0 If autonomous spending increases, the AD curve shifts up by , and income increases to Y’ The new equilibrium is at E’ with income at 9-17  The Government Sector The government affects the level of equilibrium output in two ways: 1. Government expenditures (component of AD) 2. Taxes and transfers Fiscal policy is the policy of the government with regards to G, TR, and TA Assume G and TR are constant, and that there is a proportional income tax (t) The consumption function becomes: (19) The MPC out of income becomes c(1-t) 9-18  The Government Sector Combining (19) with AD: (20) Using the equilibrium condition, Y=AD, and equation (19), the equilibrium level of output is: (21) The presence of the government sector flattens the AD curve and reduces the multiplier to 9-19  Income Taxes as an Automatic Stabilizer Automatic stabilizer is any mechanism in the economy that automatically (without case-by-case government intervention) reduces the amount by which output changes in response to a change in autonomous demand One explanation of the business cycle is that it is caused by shifts in autonomous demand, especially investment Swings in investment demand have a smaller effect on output when automatic stabilizers are in place (ex. Proportional income tax) Unemployment benefits are another example of an automatic stabilizer enables unemployed to continue consuming even though they do not have a job 9-20  Effects of a Change in Fiscal Policy Suppose government [Insert Figure 9-3 here] expenditures increase Results in a change in autonomous spending and shifts the AD schedule upward by the amount of that change At the initial level of output, Y0, the demand for goods > output, and firms increase production until reach new equilibrium (E’) How much does income expand? The change in equilibrium income is (22) 9-21  Effects of a Change in Fiscal Policy (22) [Insert Figure 9-3 here] A $1 increase in G will lead to an increase in income in excess of a dollar If c = 0.80 and t = 0.25, the multiplier is 2.5 A $1 increase in G results in an increase in equilibrium income of $2.50 G and Y shown in Figure 9-3 Expansionary fiscal policy measure 9-22  Effects of a Change in Fiscal Policy Suppose government increases TR instead Autonomous spending would increase by only c TR, so output would increase by G c TR The multiplier for transfer payments is smaller than that for G by a factor of c Part of any increase in TR is saved (since considered income) If the government increases marginal tax rates, two things happen: The direct effect is that AD is reduced since disposable income decreases, and thus consumption falls The multiplier is smaller, and the shock will have a smaller effect on AD 9-23