People borrow money because they expect:

• A. the value they receive from spending the borrowed money now exceeds the cost of repaying it later
• B. interest rates to always decrease in the future
• C. they will never have to repay the borrowed amount
• D. their consumer surplus to be negative

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of borrowing in microeconomics: People borrow money when they expect the benefits from using the borrowed funds now to be greater than the costs of repaying the loan later.
2. Identify the key idea behind borrowing decisions: The value or utility gained from spending the borrowed money immediately should exceed the total repayment amount, which includes the principal plus interest.
3. Analyze each option in the problem: The correct reasoning is that the expected value from spending now is greater than the cost of repayment; other options like expecting interest rates to always decrease, never repaying, or having negative consumer surplus do not align with rational borrowing behavior.
4. Recall the concept of consumer surplus: It is the difference between what consumers are willing to pay and what they actually pay. Borrowing is typically motivated by positive expected consumer surplus, not negative.
5. Conclude that the correct answer reflects the fundamental economic principle that borrowing occurs when the present value of benefits exceeds the future cost of repayment.