True/False Indicate whether the
sentence or statement is true or false.
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1.
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In 2002 in the UK, the top fifth of the income
distribution had income greater than the bottom three fifths of the income distribution
combined.
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2.
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The distribution of income in the UK became more
equal between 1979 and 1990.
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3.
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According to the World Development Report published
in 2002 the United States was among the world’s most equal societies and South Africa among the
most unequal.
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4.
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The increase in the labour force participation of
women that was generated by the women's movement has helped to narrow the income
distribution.
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5.
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Because of in-kind transfers to the poor and
because people's incomes vary from year to year and across their lifetimes, standard measures of
income distribution exaggerate the degree of inequality in standards of living.
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6.
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The political philosophies of utilitarianism and
liberalism both suggest that income should be equalized across the population.
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7.
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Utilitarianism is based on the assumption of
diminishing marginal product.
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8.
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Libertarians are more concerned with equal
opportunity than with equal outcome.
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9.
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Robert Nozick argues that economic justice would
result if society chose a set of rules for the redistribution of income from behind a "veil of
ignorance" and he argues that the set of rules would be the maximin criterion.
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10.
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If the demand for labour is relatively inelastic,
an increase in the minimum wage will increase unemployment among unskilled workers by a relatively
small amount.
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11.
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It is more efficient for the government to provide
in-kind transfers instead of cash payments.
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12.
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If permanent income were utilized to measure the
income distribution instead of current annual income, the income distribution would appear to be
wider.
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13.
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There is an easy and perfectly acceptable solution
to the problem of poverty traps: recipients’ benefit income should be reduced more gradually as
they increase their earnings.
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Multiple Choice Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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14.
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In 2002 in the UK, the top fifth of the income
distribution had income
a. | about half of all income. See Table 20.2 in the
textbook. | b. | about the same as the bottom fifth of the income
distribution. See Table 20.2 in the textbook. | c. | about ten times
what the bottom fifth of the income distribution earns. See Table 20.2 in the
textbook. | d. | greater than the bottom three fifths of the income
distribution combined. See Table 20.2 in the textbook. |
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15.
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Compared to other countries, the income
distribution in the UK is
a. | more unequal than in the United States but more equal
than in Brazil. See Table 20.3 in the textbook. | b. | more unequal than
in Germany but more equal than in the United States. See Table 20.3 in the
textbook. | c. | the most unequal. See Table 20.3 in the
textbook. | d. | the most equal. See Table 20.3 in the
textbook. |
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16.
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Because in-kind transfers are not accounted for in
standard measures of income distribution, the standard measures of income distribution
a. | accurately represent the true inequality of living
standards. | b. | understate the
inequality of living standards. | c. | exaggerate the
inequality of living standards. | d. | could exaggerate
or understate the inequality of living standards depending on whether the transfers are goods or
services. |
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17.
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Permanent income is
a. | Social Security income of the elderly and
disabled. | b. | none of these answers. | c. | wages fixed by a union or other labour contract. | d. | equal to the minimum wage. | e. | a person's normal, or average,
income. |
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18.
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A period of unemployment due to recession
will:
a. | increase a worker’s current income and permanent
income. | b. | reduce a worker’s current income but not
necessarily their permanent income | c. | affect neither the
current nor the permanent income of a worker. | d. | reduce a
worker’s permanent income but not their current income. |
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19.
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Because people's incomes vary over the life
cycle and because there are transitory shocks to people's incomes, the standard measures of
income distribution
a. | exaggerate the inequality of living
standards. | b. | could exaggerate
or understate the inequality of living standards depending on whether the transitory shocks are
positive or negative. | c. | understate the
inequality of living standards. | d. | accurately
represent the true inequality of living standards. |
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20.
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If people can borrow and lend to perfectly smooth
out their lifetime living standards, then
a. | transitory income is a good measure of the distribution
of living standards. | b. | none of these
answers. | c. | permanent income is a good measure of the distribution
of living standards. | d. | life-cycle income
is a good measure of the distribution of living standards. | e. | current annual income is a good measure of the distribution of living
standards. |
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21.
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Marie earns more than Seamus and she came by her
income fairly and honestly. Which of the following political philosophies would argue against the
redistribution of income from Marie to Seamus?
a. | all of these answers | b. | libertarianism | c. | liberalism | d. | utilitarianism | e. | none of these
answers |
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22.
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The maximin criterion suggested by Rawls's
theory of justice means that the government should aim to
a. | maximize the total utility of
society. | b. | maximize the well-being of the worst-off person in
society. | c. | minimize the difference between the rich and
poor. | d. | maximize the economic freedom of individuals by
minimizing government interference in private decision making. | e. | minimize the well-being of the best-off person in
society. |
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23.
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Rank utilitarianism, liberalism, and libertarianism
in sequence from the political philosophy that would redistribute income the greatest to the one that
would redistribute income the least.
a. | utilitarianism, liberalism,
libertarianism | b. | All three
political philosophies argue for similar degrees of income redistribution. | c. | liberalism, libertarianism, utilitarianism | d. | libertarianism, liberalism, utilitarianism | e. | liberalism, utilitarianism,
libertarianism |
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24.
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Utilitarianism suggests that the government should
choose policies that maximize the total utility of everyone in society by
a. | redistributing income from rich to poor because this is
what the members of society would choose to do if they were behind a "veil of
ignorance." | b. | redistributing
income from rich to poor because, due to the diminishing marginal utility of income, taking a pound
from the rich reduces their utility by less than the gain in utility generated by giving a pound to
the poor. | c. | allowing each individual to maximize their own utility
without interference from the government. | d. | redistributing
income from rich to poor because this would maximize the well-being of the worst-off person in
society. |
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25.
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Rawls’s suggestion that policy should be
directed at maximizing the welfare of the least well off person in society is derived
from
a. | the idea that people should consider policy as if behind
a veil of ignorance as to what their circumstances might be in society, and the idea that as long as
there is no theft then there is no need for governments to intervene and redistribute
income. | b. | the idea that people should consider policy as if behind
a veil of ignorance as to what their circumstances might be in society, and the idea that people will
then be particularly concerned about the possibility that they might find themselves at the bottom of
the income distribution. | c. | the idea that
people should consider policy as if behind a veil of ignorance as to what their circumstances might
be in society, and the ignorant people should be looked after. | d. | the idea that everyone in society should have an equal
income. |
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26.
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Rawls’s maximin criterion does not mean that
there should be redistribution so as to equalise everyone’s incomes in society
because
a. | such redistribution would mean that those who worked
hard were no better off than those who were lazy and this would be unfair. | b. | such redistribution would not maximize the total income of all members of
society. | c. | such redistribution would remove the incentive to work
hard, so society’s total income would fall, and so the least well off person would be worse off
than they could be under a system in which there was some inequality in
income. | d. | such redistribution would amount to confiscation of
honestly earned income from higher earners and so would be
unjust. |
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27.
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An increase in the minimum wage will cause a
relatively large increase in unemployment among
a. | unskilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively
inelastic. | b. | unskilled workers
if the demand for labour is relatively elastic. | c. | skilled workers if
the demand for labour is relatively elastic. | d. | skilled workers if
the demand for labour is relatively inelastic. |
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28.
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Current anti-poverty programs discourage work
because
a. | benefits are reduced at such a high rate when recipients
earn more income that there is little or no incentive to work once one is receiving
benefits. | b. | in order to be eligible for benefits, a recipient cannot
have a job. | c. | they make
recipients more comfortable than most middle-class citizens. | d. | anti-poverty programs attract naturally lazy people to begin
with. |
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29.
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The greatest advantage of a negative income tax is
that it
a. | generates a smaller disincentive to work than most
alternative anti-poverty policies. | b. | reduces the cost
to the government of fighting poverty. | c. | would not provide
benefits to lazy people. | d. | ensures that the
poor actually receive what the government thinks they need. | e. | does all of these answers. |
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30.
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The poverty trap refers to
a. | a situation in which those receiving state benefits may
be almost no better off if they choose to work more to earn more income for themselves and their
families because doing so will mean they have to pay back the benefits they have previously
received. | b. | a situation in which workers are unable to find
jobs. | c. | a situation in which those receiving state benefits may
be almost no better off if they choose to work more to earn more income for themselves and their
families because doing so will reduce the amount of benefit income to which they are entitled and
increase the amount of tax they must pay. | d. | a situation in
which those receiving state benefits are discriminated against by employers and so find it more
difficult to find jobs. |
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