2.1 Measures of Economic Performance Flashcards
What is economics growth
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
This is typically measured by the percentage change in real GDP per annum
What is GDP
GDP is an indicator of the standard of living in a country.
What is total GDP
the overall GDP for the country
How does GDP per capita grow
This grow if national output grows faster than population over a give time period
What is the difference between real and nominal GDP
Real GDP strips out the effects of inflation whilst nominal GDP does not.
What is 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.
What is gross national product
it is the value of all the goods produced by citizens of a country, whether they live in the country or not
What are 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.
What are the six key factors affecting happiness
- real GDP per capita
- health
- life expectancy
- having someone to count on
- perceived freedom to make life choices
- freedom from corruption
What is the Easterlin paradox
This is the idea that happiness will increase while basic needs aren’t met however once these needs are met an increase in consumption won’t increase long term happiness
What is inflation
is the general increase of prices in the economy which erodes the purchasing power of money. Low inflation is generally considered to be better than high inflation
What is deflation
is the fall of prices and indicates a slowdown in the rate of growth of output in the economy.
What is disinflation
is a reduction in the rate of inflation i.e. prices are still rising but they are not rising by as much.
What is the consumer price index
It measures the average change in prices paid by consumers over a period of time for a basket of goods
What are limitations of CPI
- Does not measure housing which increases the most as a good
- relatively knew system so no passed data to compare to
- impossible for the figure to take into account every single good that is sold in the country and so therefore the CPI is not totally representative
What is the difference between the retail price index and consumer 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.
What are some of the effects of inflation on consumers
- without a rise in income there quality of life will decrease
- those in debt will be able to pay it off at a lower value
- psychological effects of prices rising may make them feel less well off
What are the effects of inflation on firms
- This means British goods may be more expansive than other countries making them less competitive
- it is difficult to predict and firms cannot plan for it
- deflation encourages people to postpone their purchases and wait for a further drop in cost before they begin spending
What is the effect of inflation on governments
Tax will have to increase in line with inflation
What is a claimant count
The Claimant Count is the number of people receiving benefits for being unemployed
What are the conditions for someone to be considered employed
Those who do more than 1 hour of paid work a week or are temporarily away from work
What are the conditions for someone to be considered unemployed
Those of working age who are without work, able to work and seeking work and have actively sought work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the next 2 weeks.
What are the conditions for someone to be considered inactive
Those who are neither employed nor unemployed; they are people of working age not seeking employment as well as those seeking employment but not able to start work
What is underemployment
- The underemployed are those who are in part time or zero hour contracts when they would prefer to be full time and people who are self-employed but would rather be employees.
- also includes those who are in jobs which do not reflect their skill level
What is frictional unemployment
Frictional unemployment is due to people moving between jobs
What is structural unemployment
It is a long term decline in demand in an industry leading to reduction in employment. technology. It is where the demand for labour is lower than the supply in an individual labour market