112 年 國立中正大學社會福利研究所《經濟學》

The figure shows the inequality in wealth, earnings, and disposable income in the US, Sweden, and Japan using the Gini coefficient. Based on this information, which of the following statements are correct? Please explain your answers.

🖼️【此處有附圖，請對照原卷】

(A) Wealth is much more unequally distributed than earnings in all three countries.
(B) Sweden is an unambiguously more unequal society than Japan.
(C) Of the three countries, the US

The accompanying chart compares the Gini coefficients for wealth, earnings (pre-tax), and disposable income across the United States, Sweden, and Japan. Based on this evidence, which of the following assertions are correct? Please evaluate and explain each choice.

🖼️【此處有附圖，請對照原卷】

(A) In all three countries, wealth is distributed far more unequally than labor earnings.
(B) Sweden is unequivocally a more unequal society in comparison to Japan.
(C) Among the three surveyed nations, the United States represents the most unequal society overall.
(D) Sweden achieves a comparatively egalitarian disposable income distribution primarily through its system of taxation and government transfers.

The diagram displays the Lorenz curves of an economy prior to and following automation (shown by the solid and dashed lines, respectively).

Prior to automation:

• There are $90$ workers in total who receive $60\%$ of the economy's income.
• Among these $90$ workers, $60$ possess skills that are substitutable by the incoming robots, whereas $30$ possess skills that are complementary to the robots.
• There are $5$ firm owners who collectively earn $40\%$ of total economic income.
• There are $5$ unemployed individuals who receive zero income.

Following automation:

• Total economic output and income expand by $10\%$.

Based on the information and the figure provided, which of the following statements is correct? Explain your reasoning and provide complete calculations.

🖼️【此處有附圖，請對照原卷】

(A) In the post-automation state, each of the $60$ workers with substitutable skills earns $0.42\%$ of total economic income.
(B) The share of income earned by each worker possessing complementary skills increases by $75\%$.
(C) The total absolute income earned by the owners remains unchanged after automation.
(D) The observed rise in the Gini coefficient signifies a reduction in overall economic inequality.

A robot manufacturing plant is located adjacent to a dormitory housing nurses on night shifts. The factory currently manufactures $120$ units of humanoid robots each day. The production process creates substantial noise pollution that frequently disturbs the nurses' sleep.

The accompanying figure illustrates the marginal private costs ($\text{MPC}$) and marginal social costs ($\text{MSC}$) of robot production. The market for robots is perfectly competitive, and the prevailing market price is $P = £340$.

Based on this scenario, which of the following statements is correct? Please provide an explanation for your choice.

🖼️【此處有附圖，請對照原卷】

(A) The socially efficient output level coincides with the plant's private profit-maximizing output of $120$ units.
(B) The socially optimal level of production is $0$, which eliminates all marginal external noise costs borne by the nurses.
(C) At an output of $Q = 120$, both parties could achieve mutual gains if the nurses pay the factory a fee of less than $120$ to reduce production.
(D) At an output of $Q = 80$, both parties could achieve mutual gains if the factory pays the nurses a compensation fee of less than $80$ to expand production.

Regarding the evaluation of outcomes in economic interactions, which of the following statements is correct? Please explain the rationale behind your answer.

(A) If an allocation is Pareto efficient, it is impossible to make any single individual better off without making at least one other individual worse off.
(B) When an economic allocation is Pareto efficient, all participants in the economy will be satisfied with their allocated shares.
(C) In any given economic setting, there cannot exist more than one Pareto-efficient allocation.
(D) Under the Pareto criterion, every Pareto-efficient outcome is unambiguously socially superior to an inefficient one.

請依序回答下列關於所得分配與總體經濟之問題：

(a) 何謂「邊際消費傾向」（Marginal Propensity to Consume, $\text{MPC}$）？請說明其經濟意涵。
(b) 與高所得族群（富人）相比，低所得族群（窮人）的邊際消費傾向通常較高或較低？背後的理論原因為何？
(c) 在窮人與富人存在邊際消費傾向差異的前提假設下，若社會所得差距持續擴大、財富愈加集中於少數富人手中，請深入分析此一現象對整體總體經濟（包括實體商品市場需求、投資動能與金融體系穩定）可能造成的衝擊與影響。

在世界各國的發展歷程中，許多過去傳統上多由家庭內婦女無償承擔的幼兒養育與托育勞務，在當代逐漸轉向由政府直接聘僱人員提供，或是由政府編列預算補貼民間機構協助辦理。值得注意的是，家庭與政府兩者本質上皆非自由市場機制。

請運用經濟學相關理論（例如：外部性、公共財特性、資訊不對稱、流動性限制或照護市場失靈等學理視角），深入分析：為什麼自由市場機制往往難以完全且有效地自發提供幼兒撫育與托育服務？