Exam 22: Frontiers of Microeconomics

Table 22-5 The citizens of Anytown will decide whether to build a new library, a recreation center, or an arena. Exactly one of the three choices will prevail, and the choice will be made by way of pairwise voting, with the majority determining the outcome on each vote. The preferences of the voters are summarized in the table below. Voter Type -Refer to Table 22-5. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the Condorcet paradox and the results of pairwise voting in Anytown?

Table 22-21 The following table shows the number of voters preferring various amounts of spending to develop a river to make it more attractive for canoeing and kayaking. -Refer to Table 22-21. Suppose the voters are asked to choose between $1 million and $2.5 million. If all voters cast a vote for the spending amount closest to their own preference, how many votes will the $1 million spending amount receive?

Economist Kenneth Arrow wrote a famous book in 1951 in which he took up the question,

A college professor hires a student to babysit her children and pays the student an efficiency-wage. Which of the following is correct about the wage the student earns?

Table 22-10 The town of Franklin is facing a severe budget shortage. The town administrator has proposed four options to balance the budget: increase property taxes (taxes), cut the school arts budget (arts), turn off half of the streetlights in the town (streetlights), reduce police patrols (police). Exactly one of the four choices will prevail, and the choice will be made by way of pairwise voting, with the majority determining the outcome on each vote. The preferences of the voters are summarized in the table below. Voter Type -Refer to Table 22-10. If the town administrator asks voters to choose first between increasing taxes and turning off half of the streetlights, and then between the winner of the first vote and reducing police patrols, and then between the winner of the second vote and cutting the school arts budget, which choice will win the final vote?

In his 1951 book Social Choice and Individual Values, Arrow's perfect voting system satisfies all of the following properties except

One of the things that employers can do to lessen the moral hazard problem involving their employees is to pay them in advance for their work.

Suppose that residents of a town are asked to vote on the best way to improve the safety of an intersection. The three choices are: a stoplight, a 4-way stop, and a 2-way stop. When the mayor asks the residents to choose between a stoplight and a 4-way stop, the residents choose a 4-way stop. Then, when the mayor asks them to choose between a 4-way stop and a 2-way stop, they choose a 2-way stop. However, if the mayor firsts asks the residents to choose between a 4-way stop and a 2-way stop, they choose a 2-way stop. Then, when the mayor asks the residents to choose between a 2-way stop and a stoplight, they choose a stoplight. What does this example illustrate?

Adverse selection is

Table 22-17 Voter Type -Refer to Table 22-17. The table shows the preferences for three types of voters over three possible outcomes: A, B, and C. The table also shows the percentage of voters of each type. Based on this information, which of the following statements is true?

Table 22-20 The table below shows the preferred city budget (in millions) for in the city of Springfield. -Refer to Table 22-20. In an election, each voter will select the budget closest to his or her most preferred budget. In which of the following cases does a budget of $22 win?

Harold has always driven cars made by Universal Motors. The last two Universal Motors cars that Harold purchased have had major engine problems resulting in Harold incurring significant cost. Consumer Reports has consistently given Universal Motors poor ratings. Still, Harold plans to purchase another Universal Motors car next fall. Harold's behavior is an example of which systematic mistake that people make?

Table 22-16 The Johnson family is planning a vacation and, though Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will be paying for the trip, they have decided to use a democratic voting process to choose their destination. The family members' preferences are reflected in the table below. -Refer to Table 22-16. If the family uses a Borda count to make their decision, what is their vacation destination?

Table 22-2 Three longtime friends-Allen, Brian, and Cody-are deciding how they will spend their Sunday afternoon. They all agree that they should do one of three things: go to a movie, play golf, or go to a baseball game. They also agree that they will have two pairwise votes to determine how to spend their afternoon, with the majority determining the outcome on each vote. The first, second, and third choices for each person are as indicated in the table below. -Refer to Table 22-2. If (1) the first vote pits "baseball game" against "movie," and (2) the second vote pits "golf" against the winner of the first vote, then the outcome is as follows:

Table 22-18 The following table shows the preferences of four types of voters over four possible alternatives as well as the percentage of the electorate with the given preferences. -Refer to Table 22-18. Suppose before any voting takes place that alternative W is eliminated as an option. Based on this information, the median voter's first choice is

Which of the following is not an example of signaling?

Table 22-19 The 600 voters of Appleton are deciding by majority rule how much to spend on a new library. -Refer to Table 22-19. The median voter prefers to spend

An airline knows that business travelers have more inelastic demand for travel than vacationers. That is, business travelers are often willing to pay more for airline tickets than vacationers. The airline also knows that business travelers do not like to travel over weekends. When customers request airline tickets that do not involve travel over a weekend, the airline determines that a traveler is likely a business traveler and charges a higher price. This is an example of

Studies of human decision-making have detected systematic mistakes that people make. Which of the following have been detected?

The problem that arises in markets in which the seller knows more about the characteristics of the good being sold than the buyer knows is