Laffer curve estimated and such estimates are controversial. "The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics" reports that estimates of revenue-maximizing tax rates have varied widely, with a mid-range of around 70%. There is a consensus among leading economists that a reduction in the US federal income tax rate would not raise annual total tax revenue. The Laffer curve was popularized in the United States with policymakers following an afternoon meeting with Ford Administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld in 1974, in which Arthur Laffer reportedly sketched the curve on a napkin to illustrate his argument. The term "Laffer curve" was coined by
Contract curve the initial allocations. The analysis cannot say which particular point along the contract curve they will end up at — this depends on the two people's bargaining skills. In the case of two goods and two individuals, the contract curve can be found as follows. Here formula_1 refers to the final amount of good 2 allocated to person 1, etc., formula_2 and formula_3 refer to the final levels of utility experienced by person 1 and person 2 respectively, formula_4 refers to the level of utility that person 2 would receive from the initial allocation without trading at all, and formula_5