Consider a scenario involving two individuals where the payoff for Person 1 is plotted on the horizontal axis and the payoff for Person 2 is plotted on the vertical axis. The indifference curves for Person 1 are being mapped. If Person 1 is completely self-interested, caring only about their own payoff and not at all about Person 2's payoff, what would their indifference curves look like?

An individual's preferences are mapped on a graph with their own payoff on the horizontal axis and another person's payoff on the vertical axis. If this individual's indifference curves are vertical lines, it means they are indifferent between an outcome of (Self: $50, Other: $10) and an outcome of (Self: $50, Other: $100).

Evaluating Allocations for a Self-Interested Individual

An individual's preferences are represented on a graph where their own payoff is on the horizontal axis and another person's payoff is on the vertical axis. The individual's indifference curves are vertical lines. Consider four possible outcomes: Allocation W = (Self: $10, Other: $20), Allocation X = (Self: $20, Other: $10), Allocation Y = (Self: $20, Other: $30), and Allocation Z = (Self: $30, Other: $5). Which statement accurately reflects this individual's preferences?

Explaining Self-Interested Preferences

On a graph where an individual's own payoff is on the horizontal axis and another person's payoff is on the vertical axis, different types of social preferences can be represented by indifference curves with distinct shapes. Match each description of a preference type to the corresponding shape of its indifference curves.

On a graph plotting one person's payoff on the horizontal axis and another's on the vertical, completely self-interested preferences are shown as vertical indifference curves. For this person to achieve a higher level of satisfaction, or move to a more preferred indifference curve, the new allocation must be located to the ________ of the current one.

Critique of a Policy from a Self-Interested Perspective

An individual's preferences are represented on a graph where their own payoff is on the horizontal axis and another person's payoff is on the vertical axis. This individual is completely self-interested, meaning their satisfaction depends only on their own payoff.

Arrange the following outcomes from LEAST preferred to MOST preferred for this individual.

Evaluating a Conclusion about Preferences