Share this site with del.icio.us Share this site with furl Share this site with stumbleupon Share this site with google Add this site to Yahoo Bookmarks Click here to add us to your favorites Subscribe to our Feed





income elasticity of demand

Definition

Proportionate change in the demand for a good in response to a change in income. It is reflected in how people change their consumption habits with changes in their income levels. In a growing economy (where income levels are rising) goods whose demand is highly income-dependent will sell more than the goods whose demand is not income-dependent. For example, demand for staple food items normally does not increase with higher income levels; but demand for gourmet food or restaurant food does increase as individual's income grows. Also called income sensitivity of demand, it is mathematically expressed as percent change in quantity demanded ÷ percent change in income.


Browse by Letter: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z