Q.Suppose the following information is given about a hypothetical economy : C = 100 + 0·75 Y (where, C = Consumption and Y = Income) ; I0 = 200 (I0 = Autonomous Investment). Calculate the following on the basis of the given information :
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The equilibrium level of income is found where Aggregate Demand equals output. Given the consumption function and autonomous investment, equilibrium income is ₹1,200, Aggregate Demand at that income is ₹1,200, and the Marginal Propensity to Save is 0.25.
Let’s work through this step by step. The core idea is that in a simple two-sector economy (households and firms), equilibrium occurs when total planned spending — Aggregate Demand (AD) — equals total output (Y). No firm wants to produce more than it can sell, and no household wants to spend more than its income allows, so the economy settles at the point where these two forces balance.
We are given:
- Consumption function:
- Autonomous investment:
The in the consumption function is the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) — the fraction of each additional rupee of income that households spend on consumption. The is autonomous consumption, the spending that happens even when income is zero (financed by past savings or borrowing).
The fundamental equilibrium condition in a two-sector economy is:
where is consumption and is investment.
(a) Equilibrium Level of Income
At equilibrium, output equals Aggregate Demand . Substitute the given functions:
Simplify the right-hand side:
Now bring the term involving to the left:
Divide both sides by :
A common mistake is to forget that appears on both sides of the equation. Students sometimes set but then forget to replace with its full expression, leading to a wrong answer. Always write out the substitution fully.
So the equilibrium level of income is ₹1,200.
(b) Aggregate Demand at Equilibrium Level of Income
Once we know equilibrium income, we can find Aggregate Demand by plugging into the AD equation:
First compute consumption:
Then add investment:
Notice that at equilibrium, . This is not a coincidence — it is exactly what the equilibrium condition guarantees. The economy produces exactly what is demanded, so there is no unplanned inventory accumulation or depletion.
If AD were greater than Y, firms would see their inventories shrinking and would increase production, pushing income up. If AD were less than Y, inventories would pile up, and firms would cut production. Only at is there no pressure for change.
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