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The negative slope of the indifference curve reflects the assumption of the monotonicity of consumer's preferences, which generates monotonically increasing utility functions, and the assumption of non-satiation (marginal utility for all goods is always positive); an upward sloping indifference curve would imply that a consumer is indifferent ...
As such, isoquants by nature are downward sloping due to operation of diminishing marginal rates of technical substitution (MRTS). [3] [4] The slope of an isoquant represents the rate at which input x can be substituted for input y. [5] This concept is the MRTS, so MRTS=slope of the isoquant. Thus, the steeper the isoquant, the higher the MRTS.
For example, if the MRS xy = 2, the consumer will give up 2 units of Y to obtain 1 additional unit of X. As one moves down a (standardly convex) indifference curve, the marginal rate of substitution decreases (as measured by the absolute value of the slope of the indifference curve, which decreases).
The substitution effect will always turn out negative as indifference curves are always downward sloping. However, the same does not apply to income effect as it depends on how consumption of a good changes with income.
An example indifference curve is shown below: Each indifference curve is a set of points, each representing a combination of quantities of two goods or services, all of which combinations the consumer is equally satisfied with. The further a curve is from the origin, the greater is the level of utility.
An example of preferences which are weakly monotonic but not strongly monotonic are those represented by a Leontief utility function. If an agent has monotone preferences which means the marginal rate of substitution of the agent's indifference curve is positive. Given two products X and Y.
Indifference map with two budget lines (red) depending on the price of Giffen good x. In microeconomics and consumer theory, a Giffen good is a product that people consume more of as the price rises and vice versa, violating the law of demand.
At this equilibrium point, the slope of the highest indifference curve must equal the slope of the production function. Recall that the marginal rate of substitution is the rate at which a consumer is ready to give up one good in exchange for another good while maintaining the same level of utility. [ 6 ]