If good a is considered an inferior good, what will happen to good a when incomes fall?

Chapter 3 Outline
I. DEMAND AND SUPPLY ANALYSIS
A. General Definitions and Comments
1. The law of demand states that consumers will purchase more of a good at lower prices and less of a good at higher prices.
2. The law of supply states that producers will sell less of a good at lower prices and more of a good at higher prices.
3. Equilibrium exits when there is no reason for a situation to change.
a. When equilibrium exits, the quantity people plan to buy is equal to the quantity that producers plan to sell.
b. The laws of demand and supply cause the market to move to equilibrium.
B. Other Demand Factors
1. Changes in demand factors other than price of the good will result in achange in demand.
a. An increase in demand is depicted as a rightward shift of the demand curve.
b. An increase in demand means that consumers plan to purchase more of the good at each possible price.
c. A decrease in demand is depicted as a leftward shift of the demand curve
d. A decrease in demand means that consumers plan to purchase less of the good at each possible price.
2. The price of related goods is one of the other factors affecting demand.
a. Related goods are classified as either substitutes or complements.
1. Substitutes are goods that satisfy a similar need or desire.
a. An increase in the price of a good will increase demand for its substitute, while a decrease in the price of a good will decrease demand for its substitute.
2. Complements are goods that are used jointly.
a. An increase in the price of a good will decrease demand for its complement while a decrease in the price of a good will increase demand for its complement.
3. Income is another factor that can affect demand.
a. If a good is a normal good, increases in income will result in an increase in demand while decreases in income will decrease demand.
b. If a good is an inferior good, increases in income will result in a decreasein demand while decreases in income will increase demand.
C. Other Supply Factors
1. Changes in other supply factors will result in a change in supply.
a. An increase in supply is depicted as a rightward shift of the supply curve.
b. An increase in supply means that producers plan to sell more of the good at each possible price.
c. A decrease in supply is depicted as a leftward shift of the supply curve.
d. A decrease in supply means that producers plan to sell less of the good at each possible price.
2. Other factors affecting supply include technology, the prices of inputs, and the prices of alternative goods that could be produced.
a. An advance in technology, a decrease in the prices of inputs, or a decrease in the prices of alternative goods that could be produced will result in an increase in supply.
b. A deterioration of technology, an increase in the prices of inputs, or an increase in the prices of alternative goods that could be produced will result in a decrease in supply.

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Definition of an Inferior Good:

An inferior good is a good for which the demand is inversely related to income, which means that if a person’s income increases, the demand for an inferior good will decrease.

Detailed Explanation:

When your income decreases, do you purchase more of a particular good or service? Perhaps you would buy second-hand clothes at a thrift store, or, if you needed a car, you would buy a used car rather than a new car. Maybe you would take a bus, instead of hailing a taxi. Second-hand clothes and used cars are examples of inferior goods. Using a bus is an example of an inferior service if you would prefer to use a taxi. Note that “inferior” does not refer to the quality of the good. Instead, economists use inferior to describe the relationship between the demand for a good and a change in a consumer’s income.

Inferior goods have demands that are inversely related to income. As income increases, the demand for a product decreases, so the demand curve shifts to the left. A drop in income would result in an increase in the demand for the good or service, and the demand curve for the inferior good would shift to the right. 

Inferior goods usually have more appealing substitutes, which consumers will switch to following a rise in income. For example, clothes from a thrift store and new clothes are substitutes. As income increases, consumers purchase new clothes and less from thrift stores, as shown below in a leftward shift from D1 to D2 of the demand for second-hand clothes from a thrift store.

If good a is considered an inferior good, what will happen to good a when incomes fall?

Here's a fun video explaining normal and inferior goods.

Dig Deeper With These Free Lessons:

Demand – The Consumer’s Perspective
Changes In Demand – When Consumer Tastes Change
Supply and Demand – Producers and Consumers Reach Agreement
Fiscal Policy – Managing an Economy by Taxing and Spending

What happens to an inferior good when income decreases?

An inferior good is one whose demand drops when people's incomes rise. When incomes are low or the economy contracts, inferior goods become a more affordable substitute for a more expensive good. Inferior goods are the opposite of normal goods, whose demand increases even when incomes increase.

What happens to the equilibrium price and quantity of inferior goods when incomes fall?

It shifts inward when a consumer's income decreases. An inferior good is one whose consumption decreases when income increases and rises when income falls. The demand curve for an inferior good shifts out when income decreases and shifts in when income increases.

When there is an inferior good a decrease in consumer income will result in the?

If a good is an inferior good, increases in income will result in a decreasein demand while decreases in income will increase demand.

What happens when consumer income decreases?

When income decreases, the demand for normal goods decreases. The relationship between income and inferior goods is an inverse one. When income rises, the demand for inferior goods decreases, whereas when income decreases, the demand for inferior goods increases.