redistribution. Suppose Income (on the X-axis) ranges from 0 to 100, and Utility (on the Y-axis) is always given by the function U[Income] = √Income. Suppose incomes are 100, 25, and 0 for the upper, middle, and lower class. a) Find the total utility for this society. HINT: Sum the initial utility levels for the three classes. b) Suppose we took 36 away from the upper class and gave it to the lower class. Did the total utility rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of this income redistribution? c) The textbook addresses Arthur Okun's “leaky bucket,” the idea that when income is redistributed by a bureaucracy, some of the income being transferred is lost. Considering the redistribution in part (b), how much income could be wasted before society would be no better off than before? HINT: Post-Transfer Total Utility - Leak = Pre-Transfer Total Utility. Assume that the of the 36 taken from the upper class, only 36-X makes it to the lower class.

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Chapter17: Income, Poverty, And Health Care
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3. INCOME REDISTRIBUTION. Read pages 332-335 of the posted S&W chapter on income
redistribution. Suppose Income (on the X-axis) ranges from 0 to 100, and Utility (on the Y-axis)
is always given by the function U[Income] = VIncome. Suppose incomes are 100, 25, and 0 for
the upper, middle, and lower class.
a) Find the total utility for this society. HINT: Sum the initial utility levels for the three classes.
b) Suppose we took 36 away from the upper class and gave it to the lower class. Did the total
utility rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of this income redistribution?
c) The textbook addresses Arthur Okun's "leaky bucket," the idea that when income is
redistributed by a bureaucracy, some of the income being transferred is lost. Considering the
redistribution in part (b), how much income could be wasted before society would be no better off
than before? HINT: Post-Transfer Total Utility – Leak = Pre-Transfer Total Utility. Assume that
the of the 36 taken from the upper class, only 36-X makes it to the lower class.
d) Start over and suppose instead that we took 9 away from the middle class and gave it to the
lower class. Did the total utility rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of this redistribution? And
how large would the leak have to be to make the society no better off than before?
Transcribed Image Text:3. INCOME REDISTRIBUTION. Read pages 332-335 of the posted S&W chapter on income redistribution. Suppose Income (on the X-axis) ranges from 0 to 100, and Utility (on the Y-axis) is always given by the function U[Income] = VIncome. Suppose incomes are 100, 25, and 0 for the upper, middle, and lower class. a) Find the total utility for this society. HINT: Sum the initial utility levels for the three classes. b) Suppose we took 36 away from the upper class and gave it to the lower class. Did the total utility rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of this income redistribution? c) The textbook addresses Arthur Okun's "leaky bucket," the idea that when income is redistributed by a bureaucracy, some of the income being transferred is lost. Considering the redistribution in part (b), how much income could be wasted before society would be no better off than before? HINT: Post-Transfer Total Utility – Leak = Pre-Transfer Total Utility. Assume that the of the 36 taken from the upper class, only 36-X makes it to the lower class. d) Start over and suppose instead that we took 9 away from the middle class and gave it to the lower class. Did the total utility rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of this redistribution? And how large would the leak have to be to make the society no better off than before?
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