Microeconomics, Microeconomics

Assignment Help:
Consider the following insurance market. There are two states of the world, B and G, and two types of consumers, H and L, who have probabilities pH =0.5 and pL =0.25 (high and low risk) respectively of being in state B. They have common endowment e=(eG,eB) = (£900, £100). The individuals have expected utility preferences over state-contingent consumptions c=(cG,cB), with common utility function u(ci)=ln(ci), where i=B,G. Insurance firms are risk-neutral profit maximisers and offer contracts in exchange for the individuals’ endowments.

Suppose the market is competitive.

a) Outline the definition of a competitive equilibrium of this market and explain why every contract, offered by every firm, must earn zero profit in equilibrium. [7 marks]

b) Suppose the information concerning individuals’ types is symmetric, but void. It is commonly known, however, that the proportion of low risk consumers is 0.4. Derive the equilibrium set of contracts. [5 marks]

c) Find the equilibrium set of contracts when information is symmetric and perfect. [5 marks]

Now suppose that information is asymmetric; individuals know their own type but insurance firms cannot distinguish between types. (Note: there does exist an equilibrium set of contracts for this market. You may make use of this fact without proving it).

d) Explain why it must be that, if {cH,cL} is the equilibrium set of contracts, then
cH ? cL. [4 marks]

e) Explain and derive the equilibrium contract offered to high risk individuals. [3 marks]

f) Explain and derive the equilibrium contract offered to low risk individuals. [9 marks]

Related Discussions:- Microeconomics

Derive a demand function, Zac consumes only pizza and chianti. He consumes ...

Zac consumes only pizza and chianti. He consumes these goods in fixed proportions: 2 slices of pizza for one glass of chianti. His income is $100 per week. a. Derive demand func

Determine customer satisfaction levels, Periodically, Merrill Lynch surveys...

Periodically, Merrill Lynch surveys its customers to determine customer satisfaction levels. They want to determine the impact of experience on the satisfaction ratings of their co

Deviation, Deviation - Difference between the expected and actual payof...

Deviation - Difference between the expected and actual payoff -  Adjusting for the negative numbers -  The standard deviation measures square root of average of squa

Production, when average product is decreasing, marginal product is?

when average product is decreasing, marginal product is?

Mixed economy, How solve central problem of economy in mixed economic syste...

How solve central problem of economy in mixed economic system?

Differentiate between nominal and real exchange rate, Differentiate between...

Differentiate between nominal and real exchange rate.  Nominal exchange rate is the rate which actually prevails in the foreign swap market. The real exchange rate is the rate

Nash equilibrium, Define Nash equilibrium and explain with the help of the ...

Define Nash equilibrium and explain with the help of the game ''prisoner''s dilemma''.

What is endogenous growth theory, Problem 1: Any development strategy s...

Problem 1: Any development strategy should put people first; indeed, its very effectiveness should be measured in terms of how it impacts the poor. (a) Describe the link bet

Write Your Message!

Captcha
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