Question

What are the similarities between a consumer’s budget constraint and society’s production possibilities frontier, not just graphically but analytically?

Short answer

Both PPF & budget constraint show trade off ie negative relationship - between 2 goods (for social production & personal consumption), due to limited resources & money.

Step-by-step solution

Production Possibility Frontiers Concept 

PPF is a curve denoting combination of goods which can be produced by an economy, given fixed resources & constant technology.

Consumer Budget Constraint 

It is a curve denoting combination of two goods, which a consumer can afford to buy & consume, given money income & prices.

Explanation - Similarities & Relationships 

Consumer's budget constraint shows their consumption choice & trade off between two goods, according to given prices & limited income.

a) PPF shows economy's production choice & trade off between two goods, according to given limited resources.

Both highlight the essence of 'economic choice' as a consequence of limited resources.

b) Both PPF & budget constraint have & depict inverse relationship between two goods (produced or consumed), by a downward sloping.

This is because - given constant resources or income, one more unit of a good can be produced or consumed by sacrificing some units of other good only.