Saturday, September 17, 2011

Price, Income, and Cross Price Elasticity of Demand


Price Elasticity of Demand = Percentage change in quantity demanded / Percentage change in price
  • Ignore the sign
  • If the number is less than one, the good is inelastic
  • If the number is more than one, the good is elastic
  • If the number is equal to one, the good is unit elastic

Price Elasticity of Supply = Percentage change in quantity supplied / Percentage change in price

Income Elasticity of Supply = Percentage change in quantity demanded / Percentage change in income
  • If the sign is +, it is a normal good
  • If the sign is -, it is a inferior good
Cross Price Elasticity of Demand = Percentage change in quantity demanded for product A / Percentage change in price of product B
  • If the sign is +, it is a substitute
  • If the sign is -, it is a complement