4. The macroeconomy Flashcards
What is meant by the term national income?
National income measures the monetary value of the flow of output of goods and services produced in an economy, over a given time period
Why are national income statistics so useful for a government?
Only need 2
- Provides a report card of economic growth to governments which allows them to evaluate their economic performance
- Allows governments to see if their policies used to achieve their economic growth goals are succeeding
- Allows governments to forecast expected demand and growth going forward
- National income statistics can be a very important indicator of evaluating living standards
What are the three different measures of national income / economic growth?
- Gross domestic product (GDP)
- Gross national income (GNI)
- Net national income (NNI)
How do we measure GDP?
There are 3 different ways:
- The income method
- The output method
- The expenditure method
The circular flow of income tells us that income = output = expenditure
Meaning all three of these measures of GDP give us the same value
What is the definition of GDP?
The total value of goods and services produced in the economy over a given time period, (normally a year)
What is the benefit of using GDP to measure national income?
It doesn’t just give us a measure of economic growth, but it also gives us a measure of living standards
–> One method of GDP measures income
–> If GDP goes up, then incomes go up, which leads to a higher standard of living
What are the key issues of using GDP as a measure of growth?
- Risk of double counting, (especially with the output method)
This means that we include the value of output in the primary sector, and then we include the value again when that primary commodity has been manufactured into something in the secondary sector - GDP doesn’t take into account informal economic activity, such as illegal or black market activity. However, this also means it doesn’t include informal activities like DIY work. This massively disadvantages LEDCs as they have a more prominent informal economy
One of the main issues of using GDP as a measure of growth is the risk of double counting. How could this be combated?
GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in the economy over a year
If double counting means we are using the value of the commodity in the primary sector and the value of the commodity when it has been manufactured into something in the secondary sector. Then we can change our definition so that we measure the value of final goods, not just goods
This means we won’t measure the value of commodity goods in the primary sector, but rather measure the value of them when they get manufactured into something in the secondary sector
What are some key issues of using GDP as a measure of living standards?
- GDP just looks at the value of output, not the quality. Meaning it doesn’t look at the negative externalities of production. Such as the cost of air pollution. If these externalities were included, then living standards would be lower than what GDP suggests, indicating the measure is inaccurate
- GDP doesn’t take into account other quality of life aspects, such as education and healthcare. Meaning it is a less reliable measure of living standards. This suggests that something like the human development index, (HDI), is a far better measure of living standards
What is GDP per capita?
*CHECK WITH TEACHER TO MAKE SURE THIS IS A GOOD ENOUGH DEFINITION
GDP figure divided by the population, in order to see the average income of individuals in an economy
What is the formula for GDP per capita?
GDP / Population
What is one issue with using GDP per capita to measure the standard of living?
(Same issues as using normal GDP) +
Remittance payments - This is when workers or firms located in one country, go and work in other countries to earn higher incomes. But these firms and businesses then send any income earned back to the home country
GDP per capita does not take into account any factor incomes earned abroad –> However, it is clear that as this money is sent back home, it is being used to improve living standards
–> Lots of money sent back goes to friends and family
What is meant by nominal GDP?
GDP at current prices, not factoring in inflation
What is meant by real GDP?
Real GDP is when the value of all goods and services in the economy are adjusted for inflation
How do we convert a nominal figure into a real figure?
100 x Nominal GDP / Real GDP
What is the definition of GNI?
GNI is the total income generated by a countries factors of production, regardless of where these factors of production are located
What is the formula for GNI?
GNI = GDP + Net factor incomes
There is one additional measure of economic growth used which factors in environmental cost. What is this called?
Green GDP
How do we work out green GDP?
Green GDP = GDP - Environmental costs
What is one issue with using green GDP?
It is difficult to put a monetery value on environmental costs, which means it may require a normative view to do so
This will include human bias
What is the circular flow of income?
Macroeconomic model, which tells us the leakages and injections of an economy, as well as showing us how to measure economic growth
What does the circular flow of income explain?
- Households provide their factors of production to firms
- Firms then combine these factors of production to produce goods and services
- Households then receive factor incomes
- Households then spend these factor incomes on other goods and services made by firms
Draw the circular flow of income.
What is a closed economy?
An economy that doesn’t engage in trade or other financial exchanges with other countries