Question

Assume that a state government currently provides no child-care subsidies to working single parents, but it now wants to adopt a plan that will encourage labor force participation among single parents. Suppose that child-care costs are hourly, and suppose the government adopts a child-care subsidy that pays $3 per hour for each hour the parent works, up to 8 hours per day. Draw a current budget constraint (net of child-care costs) for an assumed single mother and then draw in the new constraint. Discuss the likely effects on labor force participation and hours of work.

Answer 1

Answer:

The line on the graph will be parallel to the pre-subsidy line and the new constraint will then be equal to the points connecting the two lines.

Explanation:

The subsidy by government to single parents is $3 per hour for up to 8 hours. The total of subsidy will be $16 for each day. The labor force who were not receiving the subsidy before had steep indifference curve but now few workers will find utility maximization with flatter indifference curve so the workers will join the subsidy program.