Chapter 14 Exam Questions
with Answers
labor demand curve - Correct Answers: a graph that illustrates the amount of labor that firms want to
employ at each given wage rate
labor supply curve - Correct Answers: a graph that illustrates the amount of labor that households want
to supply at each given wage rate
sticky wages - Correct Answers: the downward rigidity of wages as an explanation for the existence of
unemployment
social contracts (implicit contracts) - Correct Answers: unspoken agreement between firms and workers
that firms will not cut wages
relative-wage explanation of unemployment - Correct Answers: if workers care about their wages
relative to those of other workers, they may be unwilling to accept wage cuts unless all get the same
wage cuts
explicit contract - Correct Answers: employment contract that stipulates a worker's wages, usually for
one to three years
cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) - Correct Answers: contract provisions that tie wages to changes in
the cost of living
efficiency wage theory - Correct Answers: an explanation for unemployment that says employees who
are paid above the market wage rate have incentive to be more productive, giving employers an
incentive to pay them above market wage
minimum wage laws - Correct Answers: laws that set a floor for wage rates