Suppose an individual experiences a $20,000 increase in real yearly income and the individual believes this increase in income is permanent. Economic theory suggests that this individual’s current yearly consumption will
(a) remain unchanged.
(b) increase by more than $20,000.
(c) increase by at most $20,000.
(d) decrease or remain unchanged, depending on the value of the real interest rate.
(e) decrease, remain unchanged, or increase, depending on the value of the real interest rate
OPTION C - increase by at most $20,000
Reason
According to the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC), change in consumption as divided by change in income is equal to ONE. It means that increase/decrease in consumption cannot be greater than increase/decrease in income. Hence, if an individual experiences an increase in income to the extent of $20,000, then as per MPC Concept of Economic Theory, his current yearly consumption will increase by at most $20,000.
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