2.1 measures of economic growth Flashcards
what is economic growth?
the rate of change in output. It is an increase in the long term productive potential of the country which means there is an increase in the amount of goods and services that a country produces.
how is economic growth measured?
percentage change in real GDP per annum. It can also be shown through the shift of PPF
Gross domestic product
a measure of value of production of goods and sevices
What is GDP a measure of
the standard of living in a country
Total GDP
the overall GDP for the country
Total GDP
the overall GDP for the country
when does GDP per capita grow
national output grows faster than population over a given
time period, so there are more goods and services to enjoy per person.
GDP per capita
the total GDP divided by the number of people in a country.
difference between real and nominal
Real strips out the effects of inflation whilst nominal doesn’t
difference between value and volume
Real values can be described as the volume of national income i.e. the size of the basket of goods, whilst nominal values represent the value of the national income i.e. the monetary cost of this basket of goods.
Gross National Income
The value of goods and services produced by a country over a period of time plus net overseas interest payments and dividends.
Gross National Product
The value of goods and services over a period of
time through labour or property supplied by citizens of a country both domestically (GDP) and overseas.
Comparasion of growth over time
Changing national income levels will show us whether the country has grown or shrunk over a period of time.
Comparasion of growth between countries
When countries have a difference in population, a difference in total GDP doesn’t necessarily mean a difference in living standards so to make comparisons, we work out GDP per capita.
Purchasing Power Parities
An exchange rate of one currency for another which compares how much a typical basket of goods in the country costs compared to one in another country.
Why are PPP’s useful
takes into account the cost of living (how much has to be spent to maintain living standards), and so will help us
better compare living standards.
Problems of using GDP to compare standard of living
-inequalities
-inaccuracy of data
-quality of goods and services
-comparing different currencies
-spending
Measuring National Wellbeing
Reported on how lives are improving. They found that self-reported health, relationship status and employment status most affect personal well-being.
Real incomes and subjective happiness
One key finding of psychological research is that happiness and income are positively related at low incomes i.e. if you are poor and your income increases,
you will be happier, but higher levels of income aren’t associated with increases in happiness i.e. rich people aren’t necessarily happy and increases in their income
won’t necessarily make them happier. This is called the Easterlin Paradox
inflation
general increase of prices in the economy
deflation
fall of prices and indicates a slowdown in the rate of growth of output in the economy.
disinflation
reduction in the rate of inflation i.e. prices are still rising but they are not rising by as much
GDP per capita calculation
GDP total / population
Consumer price Index
All these prices are combined using information on the average household spending pattern to produce an overall price index. The average household spending is worked out through the Living Costs and Food Survey, where around 5,500 families keep diaries of what they spend over a fortnight.
Limitations of CPI
-not totally represntative
-doesn’t include price of housing
-difficult to make comparasions
Retail Price Index
-RPI includes housing costs such as mortgage and interest payments and council tax, whereas CPI does not.
-CPI takes into account the fact that when prices rise people will switch to product that has gone up by less. Therefore, the CPI is generally lower than the RPI.
-RPI excludes the top 4% of income earners and low income pensioners as they are not ‘average’ households whilst CPI covers all households and all incomes.
Causes of Inflation
-demand pull
-cost push
-growth of the money supply
Demand pull inflation
Prices in a market are determined by demand and supply and a shift in either will cause price to change. Inflation can therefore be caused by an increase in aggregate
demand (AD), total demand for goods and services in the economy.
cost push inflation
Whilst an increase in aggregate demand can push prices up, a decrease in aggregate supply may also push prices up. When businesses find their costs have risen, they will put up prices to maintain their profit margins. This can be caused by any factor which decreases AS
Growth of money supply
there being too much money in the economy. If people have access to money they will want to spend it but if there is no increase in the amount of goods and services supplied, then prices will have to rise.
effects of inflation on consumers
-they will have less to spend, which could cause a fall in living standards.
-those who are in debt will be able to pay it off at a price which is of cheaper value, and vice versa
-consumer confidence
effects on inflation on firms
-If inflation in Britain is higher than other countries, British goods will be more expensive. They will become less competitive and make them more difficult to export.
-deflation causes people to postpone purchases as they are waiting for prices to fall further so will effect profits
-inflation is difficult to predict so it is hard for firms to plan
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effects of inflation on governement
If the government fails to change excise taxes (taxes at a set amount e.g. £1) in line with inflation then real government revenue will fall. However, if they fail to change personal income tax allowances (the amount a worker can earn tax free) then real government income will increase and taxpayers will have less money.
effects of inflation on workers
-If workers do not receive yearly pay rises of the rate of inflation, they will be worse off and their living standard will decrease.
-Deflation could cause some staff to lose their jobs as there is a lack of demand
meaning firms see a fall in profit and have to decrease staff to cut costs.