Definitions Flashcards
Dunknoe, these are the easy marks ygm
Economic resources/Factors of Production
The resource inputs that are available in an economy for the production of goods and services. These are: Capital, enterprise, land, labour
The economic problem
Because wants are infinite but resources are scarce, choices must be made as of how to allocate resources. These choices include what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce to
Scarcity
We have limited resources which are insufficient to meet infinite wants
Opportunity cost
The value of the next best alternative foregone when a choice is made
Production possibility curve
Represents the maximum output combinations of 2 goods that can be produced given the current level of resources, the current state of technology and assuming all resources are working at optimum efficiency
Economic Growth
Increase in the productive potential of an economy. Can be shown by an outwards shift in the PPC
Productive potential/capacity
The maximum output that an economy is capable of achieving
Pareto efficiency
Where one person cannot be made better off without someone else being made worse off. All points on a PPC are pareto efficient
Productive efficiency
Where the production takes place using the least amount of scarce resources.
Division of labour
Where the production process is broken down into separate tasks and individual workers will specialise in one task.
Specialisation
The concentration of a worker, group of workers, firm, region or whole economy on the production of a narrow range of goods and services
Exchange
The process by which goods and services are traded
Want
Anything a consumer would like irrespective of whether they have the means to purchase it
Need
The things we actually need to survive. Basic needs are food, water, shelter, and warmth. Everything else we may wish to purchase is a want
Economic system
The way in which production is organised by a country or group of countries.
Economic decisions can be made entirely by the state (planned economy) [example on what to produce, how to produce or for whom to produce], entirely by the market (market economy) [example] or a mixture of both
Positive statement
A statement based on fact
Normative statement
A statement which is based upon opinion
Economic Good
Goods and services which use up resources in order to be produced. They therefore have an opportunity cost- in order for one economic good to be produced, another must be foregone. As resources are limited , so is the number of economic goods that can be produced
Free good
A good with zero opportunity cost as it requires no use of economic resources in order to be able to consume it eg. air
Trade off
The calculation involved in deciding whether to give up one good or another
Capital goods/Producer goods
Man-made goods aids to production and are goods that will be used up over and over again in production processes such as machinery or factory buildings
Consumer goods
Goods and services used for immediate consumption. They do not add to the productive capacity and can be ‘single use’ or ‘long use consumer durables’
Gross investment
Total value of capital goods created in an economy in a given time period
Capital consumption
Reduction in value of capital goods created in an economy due to depreciation becoming obsolete in a given time period