Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

13 Consider an individual whose utility function over income I is U(!), where U is increasing smoothly in I and is concave (in other words,

image text in transcribed
image text in transcribed
13 Consider an individual whose utility function over income I is U(!), where U is increasing smoothly in I and is concave (in other words, our basic assumptions throughout this chapter). Let Is = 0 be this person's income if he is sick, let IH > 0 be his income if he is healthy, let p be his probability of being sick, let E[/] be expected income, and let E[U] be his expected utility when he has no insurance. a Write down algebraic expressions for both E[/] and E[U] in terms of the other parameters of the model. b Consider a full insurance product that guarantees this individual E[/]. Create a diagram in U-I space. Draw the individual's utility curve and the lines represent- ing Is, IH, and E[!]. Then draw and label a line segment that corresponds to the utility gain, AU, from buying this insurance product. Draw and label another line segment, M, which corresponds to the consumer surplus from the purchase of insurance (that is, the monetary value of the utility gain from buying insurance). c Derive an algebraic expression for M. [Hint: you may assume that U is invertible and its inverse is U-1]. d Draw a graph plotting how M changes as p (the probability of being sick) varies between 0 and 1. [Hint: draw a coordinate plane with p on the x-axis and M on the y-axis.] Describe intuitively why this graph has the shape that it does

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image

Step: 3

blur-text-image

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Environmental Economics

Authors: Barry Field, Martha K Field

5th Edition

0073375764, 9780073375762

More Books

Students also viewed these Economics questions