CH 2 Flashcards
when the mix of goods produced represents the mix that society most desires
allocative efficiency
all possible consumption combinations of goods that someone can afford, given the prices of goods, when all income is spent; the boundary of the opportunity set
budget constraint
when a country can produce a good at a lower cost in terms of other goods; or, when a
country has a lower opportunity cost of production
comparative advantage
Adam Smith’s concept that individuals’ self-interested behavior can lead to positive social outcomes
invisible hand
as we consume more of a good or service, the utility we get from additional units
of the good or service tends to become smaller than what we received from earlier units
law of diminishing marginal utility
as we add additional increments of resources to producing a good or service, the marginal benefit from those additional increments will decline
law of diminishing returns
examination of decisions on the margin, meaning a little more or a little less from the status quo
marginal analysis
statement which describes how the world should be
normative statement
measures cost by what we give up/forfeit in exchange; opportunity cost measures the value of the forgone alternative
opportunity cost
all possible combinations of consumption that someone can afford given the prices of goods and the
individual’s income
opportunity set
statement which describes the world as it is
positive statement
a diagram that shows the productively efficient combinations of two
products that an economy can produce given the resources it has available.
production possibilities frontier (PPF)
when it is impossible to produce more of one good (or service) without decreasing the quantity produced of another good (or service)
productive efficiency
costs that we make in the past that we cannot recover
sunk costs
satisfaction, usefulness, or value one obtains from consuming goods and services
utility
