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5. Which of the following statements are true with respect to setting up the poverty line?

a. The World Bank sets two poverty lines for low-income countries around the world. One poverty line is set at an income of $1.25/day per person.
    The other is at $2/day.
b. By comparison, the U.S. 2015 poverty line of $20,090 annually for a family of three works out to $18.35 per person per day.
c. Both of these are true
d. None of these are true. 

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Microeconomics
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Understanding Poverty
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1 Nov 2020

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Related questions

Q1. Import quotas are
a. methods for reducing imports by limiting the quantity of goods that can enter the country each year
b. voluntary agreements by exporting countries to limit sales in a foreign country
c. subsidies to foreign producers to encourage them to trade
d. none of these

Q2. Devices that set up multiple exchange rates between the currencies of two nations are known as
a. tariff quotas
b. export subsidies
c. exchange controls
d. variable currencies

Q3. The international organization that replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is the
a. World Bank
b. Export-Import Bank
c. World Trade Organization
d. International Monetary Fund

Q4. Dumping refers to the practice of
a. flooding a foreign market with large quantities of a good
b. selling a product abroad at a price below cost or below the domestic price
c. exporting inexpensive products to foreign countries
d. selling surplus goods abroad with counterfeit brand names

Q5. Countries engage in trade because
a. the exchange is mutually beneficial
b. governments force industries to exchange
c. international law dictates that exchange must take place
d. all of these

Q6. According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, all persons, unrelated or related, who occupy a housing unit comprise
a. a family unit
b. a household
c. an extended family unit
d. group living

Q7. A country with an equal distribution of income will have a higher standard of living than a country with a more unequal distribution of income.
a. true
b. false

Q8. Welfare caseloads tend to fluctuate with
a. business cycles
b. weather
c. stock markets
d. minimum wage rates

Q9. The official poverty threshold line is adjusted annually for
a. income taxes
b. inflation
c. average household size
d. average family size

Q10. For many welfare recipients, taking a job reduces income.
a. true
b. false

Q11. It is true that a stable economy occurs when
a. total injections into the circular flow are large enough to make up for government tax leakages
b. total leakages from the circular flow are great enough to offset the effects of government spending
c. total planned leakages from the circular flow are exactly equal to total planned injections into the circular flow
d. actual saving is equal to planned investment

Q12. The measure of income received by persons from all sources is known as
a. personal income
b. national income
c. gross domestic product
d. net national product

Q13. Discharges of chemicals from a paper plant that pollute a nearby river represent an example of
a. internal costs
b. the underground economy
c. social costs
d. transfer costs

Case Study #3

TO WAL-MART OR NOT TO WAL-MART?

Wal-Mart is a $250-billion-a-year retailer. Eighty two percent of U.S. households made a

Wal-Mart purchase in 2002. It is the largest company in the world with a global

workforce of 1.4 million. Where Wal-Mart competes the average grocery prices are 14%

lower. In the past it was General Motors, IBM and other companies that were considered

to be the leaders in industry and the ones to watch. Now it is Wal-Mart that is being

studied in universities around the world.

At Wal-Mart, cost is king. Costs are kept low and this translates into goods being sold

for less. The entire organization is focused on reducing costs and passing those savings

on to the consumer. This allows poor people to buy food and other necessities that they

otherwise might not be able to afford. In the U.S. it dominates sales in a number of

categories : 32% of disposable diapers, 30% of hair products, 26% of toothpaste, 20% of

pet food and 13% of textiles.

Wal-Mart simply has developed the most efficient methods for operating their business.

Their inventory management, through a network of scanners, computers, and at-the-ready

suppliers, makes it the leader in successful turnover of inventory. How can we blame

Wal-Mart for being the efficient cost conscious giant that it is?

The Wal-Mart phenomenon has occurred at the same time that high-paying skilled jobs

are being lost in the manufacturing sector. When these jobs are lost, the alternative often

means being employed at Wal-Mart at a much lower pay scale with reduced benefits

such as medical insurance. Its labor costs are twenty percent less than those at

unionized supermarkets, and sales clerks make less, on average, than the federal poverty

level ($8.50 an hour).

Barbara Ehrenreich* has described the problems faced by the under class, such

as waitresses and Wal-Mart employees. They barely survive on a day-to-day basis, living

from hand to mouth, with no reserves, no safety net, no medical insurance and almost no

prospect of improving their positions in life.

The loss of manufacturing jobs has affected the lifestyles of many people. What they see

is the reality of reduced opportunity with a permanent reduction in wages and standards

of living. They are trapped in a new marketplace, with diminishing expectations and few

alternatives to shopping at Wal-Mart. This is a change in our American culture--the

dreams have now been down-sized.

Is Wal-Mart the hero or the culprit? After all, low prices, competition, and growth have

all been mantras that Americans have been chanting all of our lives. We were

told that if you built a better mouse trap, everyone would come to you. Well, Wal-Mart

has built a better mouse trap. Is there any logic in our looking at Wal-Mart as a

contributor to the loss of some our middle class or is it just jealousy and sour grapes?

For one thing, its hard line on costs has forced many factories to move overseas.

Wal-Mart imported most of the items it sells. Environmental standards

are lower in these countries where these goods are manufactured than they are in the

U.S. This probably results in increased health issues and costs. In addition, shipment of

goods many thousands of miles to their ultimate destinations, involve utilizing the

world’s limited oil resources. When you add up all this, the cost of the goods may be

greater than if they were produced in this country.

Another issue is that Wal-Mart is a non-union employer paying wages that are below the

poverty level, with minimal health insurance coverage. As many employees cannot

afford the co-payment required for doctors office visits, when a medical crisis occurs they

are forced to use the emergency room facilities of local hospitals. The result is that the

community bears the direct cost of their medical treatment and the indirect, as well as

ancillary costs such as diminished work capacity, child care, etc.

There are other economic ramifications to the Wal-Mart explosion. When Wal-Mart

arrives in a town, “main street” erodes. Neighborhood stores that used to provide goods,

services and paid their workers well, are eliminated, uprooting families and ways of life

in the process. The Wal-Mart decision to saturate Oklahoma City, resulted in the closure

of 30 supermarkets.

If Americans shop with price being the only factor that determines where they

purchase their goods, doesn’t this mean the permanent down-sizing of our standard of

living? How can the local retail establishment survive when they can’t compete with a

Wal-Mart? Look at what has happened to the local supermarket, bookstore, hardware

and clothing store. The demise of these small business constitutes the loss of a middle

class of society in a community. We need to think: As consumers are we better off

paying a little more to enable the local merchants and their families to survive in order to

preserve the character of our communities and society or should we concern ourselves

with price only?

HERE IS YOUR DILEMMA:

You are the mayor of a small city in the West. You can’t worry about the 4,700 workers

at IBM and the other workers at technology companies who lost their jobs. Your problem

is a more local one.

A Wal-Mart representative has approached you about the possibility of building a super-

store within your city limits. The store would serve communities within a twenty-five mile

radius. The land that they intend to build upon would require new zoning. Wal-Mart

would expect a certain amount of property tax and other relief. If your city does not

want a super-store, you are certain that one of the other towns close-by would be happy

to accommodate their needs.

What studies would you require before deciding which way to vote? What ramifications

do you foresee with this new super-store? What would you ask of Wal-Mart before

agreeing to their request? How much input would you seek from the residents of your

city

Question 3

According to Joseph Schumpeter, the theory of creative destruction describes a process by which

A

some new products unleash a gale of destruction that drive other new products out of the market.
B

new products unleash a gale of destruction that drives old products out of the market.
C

new products are created by the destruction of capital.
D

the creation of new products never involves the destruction of old products.

Question 4

Which of the following countries had the highest GDP per capita in 2012?

A Qatar
B

United States
C

Japan
D

Norway

Question 5

________ save a ________ of their income. This ________ capital in their economy and raises economic growth.

A

Developing countries; large proportion; decreases
B

Developing countries; small proportion; increases
C

High-income countries; large proportion; increases
D

High-income countries; small proportion; increases

Question 6

The demand for loanable funds is determined by the willingness of ________ to borrow money to engage in new investment projects.

A

A

government
B

households
C

banks
D

firms

Question 7

The U.S. economy has been more stable since 1950.

True

False

Question 8

When the economy reaches a trough in a business cycle, which of the following will occur?

A

Income, production, and employment will continue to fall.
B

Income, production, and employment will begin to rise.
C

Income and production will rise, but employment will continue to fall.
D

Employment rises, but income and production will continue to fall.

Question 9

In a closed economy, what is the relationship between saving and investment?

A

Saving is greater than investment.
B

Investment is greater than saving.
C

Investment is equal to saving.
D

Investment may be greater or smaller than saving.

Question 10

The per-worker production function shows the relationship between ________ per hour worked and ________ per hour worked, holding ________ constant.

A

labor; real GDP; technology
B

capital; real GDP; technology
C

labor; capital; real GDP
D

capital; labor; real GDP

Question 11

New growth theory states that increases in ________ capital will result in ________ at the ________ level.

A

knowledge; increasing returns to scale; firm
B

physical; decreasing returns to scale; firm
C

knowledge; decreasing returns to scale; economy
D

knowledge; increasing returns to scale; economy

Question 12

Which of the following is not a reason why the Industrial Revolution occurred when and where it did?

A

The British government was committed to upholding private property rights.
B

The British government was able to eliminate arbitrary increases in taxes.
C

The British government was able to more easily seize wealth.
D

Institutional changes by the British government helped protect wealth.

Question 13

Growth in real GDP per capita for the world economy was greatest during

A

the seventeenth century.
B

the eighteenth century.
C

the nineteenth century.
D

the twentieth century.

Question 14

Which of the following is a normative statement about economic growth?

A

Economic growth is associated with higher labor productivity growth.
B

Economic growth increases GDP per capita.
C

Economic growth hurts developing countries.
D

Foreign direct investment stimulates economic growth.

Question 15

The effect of a recession on a company like Whirlpool Corporation is such that

A

sales decline more sharply for Whirlpool as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
B

profits fall less sharply as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
C

the decline in sales is more short-lived as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
D

there is no difference in the impact of the recession on its profits as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.

Question 16

For the recessions in the United States since the 1950s,

A

cyclical unemployment has been non-existent.
B

unemployment rises on average by about 1.2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
C

unemployment falls on average by 2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
D

unemployment rises on average about 5 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.

Question 17

You are an economic advisor to the president. You are asked to recommend a policy to promote long-term economic growth in the economy. Which of the following policies would you choose?

A

a reduction in sales taxes
B

an investment tax credit
C

a reduction in taxes on luxury yachts
D

All of these

Question 18

In comparison to a government that runs a balanced budget, when the government runs a budget deficit,

A

the equilibrium interest rate will fall.
B

business investment will fall.
C

household savings will fall.
D

None of these

Question 19

If labor productivity growth slows down in a country, this means that the growth rate in ________ has declined.

A

labor force participation
B

the quantity of goods or services that can be produced by one hour of work
C

the working-age population
D

nominal GDP

Question 20

Policies to promote growth by increasing saving and investment work through

A

decreasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
B

increasing the supply of loanable funds, increasing the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
C

increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, lowering the level of investment in physical capital.
D

increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.

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