Describe the labor market in puerto rico

Assignment Help Business Economics
Reference no: EM132264298

Governments commonly uses price floors. One of the most classic examples of a price floor is a minimum wage policy in a labor market. Minimum wages laws date from 1894 in New Zealand, 1909 in the United Kingdom, and 1912 in Massachusetts. Minimum wage policies, however, often create unintended consequences. The original 1938 U.S. minimum wage law, for example, caused massive unemployment in Puerto Rico.

Suppose the following demand and supply curves describe the labor market in Puerto Rico before 1938:

Demand: = 20 - Q

Supply:  = 2 + 0.5Q

where is the wage per hour, and represents the number of workers hired, in thousands

(e.g. Q = 1 means that 1,000 workers have been hired).

a) Calculate the equilibrium wage and the number of workers hired before the 1938 minimum wage laws. Illustrate on a graph.

b) The 1938 U.S. minimum wage laws artificially required that all workers earned at least $10 per hour in Puerto Rico. So, how many workers would be employed under the minimum wage policy? Illustrate on a graph.

c) Using your graphs from (a), calculate the consumer surplus and producer surplus at the initial equilibrium price and quantity from part (a).

d) Calculate the new consumer surplus and producer surplus with the minimum wage of $10 (part b).

e) How does the total consumer and producer surplus in part (c) compare to the total consumer and producer surplus in part (d)? What explains the difference in these two  figures? Please explain intuitively.

Reference no: EM132264298

Questions Cloud

Imposing a tax on those who watch the fireworks : What do you say to the idea of a city government imposing a tax on those who watch the fireworks? Give me two reasons to support it, and two reasons not to supp
How might such an oversight affect our conclusions : In 1984, individual balances in private retirement plants were $865 billion. Thirty years later, they had risen to almost $25 trillion.
Consider two people who are both equally rich : Does envy of those who are rich depend on the source of that wealth? For example, consider two people who are both equally rich. One of them worked eighty hours
Function of the real interest rate in the economy : Find period 1 savings per person as a function of the real interest rate in the economy.
Describe the labor market in puerto rico : Suppose the following demand and supply curves describe the labor market in Puerto Rico before 1938:
Current level of full-employment output : How would each of the following affect the current level of full-employment output? Explain.
Becoming pro-cyclical rather than stabilizing : If the policy response discussed in this statement is mistimed, it risks becoming pro-cyclical rather than stabilizing.
Why given information is important for helping professionals : Post one important fact each about two different military branches-explaining why this information is important for helping professionals to know.
Color and shape of our currency : Suppose the color and shape of our currency was changed. How would these changes affect the role money played?

Reviews

Write a Review

Business Economics Questions & Answers

  Calculate the per-unit tax

It's a specialized market, so we'll just have to assume we have enough buyers and sellers to have our demand and supply curves be straight, smooth lines. The following information applies to the market before any tax is applied: Calculate the per-uni..

  Producer surplus and total surplus of market for groceries

Use a diagram to show the consumer surplus , producer surplus and total surplus of the market for groceries in this small town. Now suppose these small supermarkets successfully form a cartel which behaves like a monopoly, How does this cartel affect..

  Explain why a competitive firm should stop producing

Elucidate the reason Explain why a competitive firm should stop producing immediately if the price is lower than the average variable cost.

  Explain periods of prolonged unemployment

The classical model cannot explain periods of prolonged unemployment. B) The Keynesian model cannot explain periods of prolonged unemployment. All the following are assumptions of the classical model EXCEPT.

  What is the opportunity cost of going to college term

What is the opportunity cost of going to college this term, assuming that your room and board expenses would be the same even if you did not go to college?

  Consider a consumer with a medical bill

Consider a consumer with a medical bill of $1,000. He has a $250 deductible and a 10 percent coinsurance rate on all expenses over $250. His "out-of-pocket".

  How to interpret estimated coefficient

How to interpret estimated coefficient and How to count tendency ratio between one category of certain independent to or category.

  Should decision management-decision control be separated

Should decision management and decision control be separated? As part of your discussion, provide a real-world example (or provide a fictitious example) of a firm where the control (correctly) resides with the same individual as well as an example of..

  Advantages and disadvantages of owning franchise

What are the advantages of buying a business rather than starting one from scratch? What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a franchise?

  Risk loving-risk neutral or risk averse

Suppose that Natasha’s utility function is given by: u(I)=I^(0.5) where I represents annual income in thousands of dollars. Is Natasha risk loving, risk neutral or risk averse? Explain.

  Despite earning higher wage than those that are native born

Using a labor market graph and a few well chosen sentences a situation in which athletes that immigrate to the United States may be discriminated against, despite earning a higher wage than those that are native born.

  Budget constraint-indifference curves-optimal consumption

Suppose a caffeine-deprived man needs to wake up. Suppose his preferences on a day can be described by U=3*coffee+2*tea. If the price of coffee is $4 and the price of tea is $1. He has $12 to spend on these drinks on a day. Show his budget constraint..

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd