Monday, 7 April 2014

The Perverse Demand Schedule

The perverse demand schedule is one that slopes upwards from left to right.


  • The > the Price the > the demand - this does't obey the laws of demand.
  • A perverse demand schedule can only happen in the case of Giffen and Veblen goods.
Veblen goods
Are goods based on the theory of conspicuous consumption. Where consumers believe that the > the price the > the quality and therefore are willing to spend more. Examples of this are perfume and cars.

Giffen goods


Production Possibility Frontiers

A Production possibility frontier, or a PPF shows the maximum combination of output that an economy can produce, using all available resources. It shows scarcity, choice and opportunity cost.

Figure one


  • Point Y is unattainable as it is outside the PPF, if there was an increase in total resources or an improvement in technology the curve would move outward, making D attainable, shown in figure two. 
  • Point X is inside the PPF due to either unemployed resources or an economy using its resources inefficiently.
  • PPF'S show an opportunity cost so if you were producing products A and B at point B. You could reallocate your sources to either produce more of product A or B.  If you chose to produce more of good B, the opportunity cost is less of good A and vice versa.
Figure Two



  • There can be an inward or an outward shift in the PPF as shown in figure two. A shift from AB to RS can be caused by a sudden decrease in resources, an example of how this can be bought about is a natural disaster.
  • The shift from AB to PQ is due to an improvement of the technology available and therefore an increase in efficiency.