Chapter 16: Politics and the Economy Flashcards
Fiscal policy is
Economic policies involving taxing, spending, and deficit levels of the national government
Monetary policy is
Economic policies involving the money supply, interest rates, and banking activity
The Federal Reserve Board (fed) is the
Independent agency in the executive branch of the federal government charged with overseeing the nation’s monetary policy
Inflation is
The rise in the general level of prices, not just the prices of some products
The fed acts to
Limit the supply of money by raising interest rates
Recession
A decline in the general level of economic activity
When a recession threatens, the fed acts to
Expand the money supply and lower interest rates
Gross domestic product (GOP) is
The measure of economic performance in terms of the nation’s total production of goods and services for a year, valued in terms of market prices
Unemployment rate: Percentage of the civilian labor force who are
Not working but who are looking for work or waiting to return to or begin a job
It may be the most important measure of the
Economy’s performance
Mandatory spending
Spending for program commitments made by past congresses
Government spending is the type of
Mandatory Spending Program
Entitlement program
Social welfare programs that provide classes of people with legally enforceable rights to benefits
Examples of entitlement programs
Social Security and Medicare— these accounts for two thirds of all entitlement payments
Payments to the poor and unemployed, welfare, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance account for
Less than one-third of all entitlement spending
