Econ final exam Flashcards
What is the Definition of Economics
A social science concerned with making optimal choices under conditions of scarcity
What is Scarcity
There is scarcity of economic resources that restricts options and requires choices. The opportunity cost of choice is what you lose for that choice
What must we assume about consumers in Purposeful Behaviour?
They make rational decisions
What is a marginal analysis
Compares marginal costs to marginal benefits.
What is the scientific method
Observe, formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, accept/reject/modify the hypothesis, continue to test hypothesis
Definition of Microeconomics
Concerns the study of the individual firm, consumer, or market.
Definition of Macroeconomics
Concerns the study of entire economy or major aggregate of the economony
Positive economics
Something that is factual
Normative economics
Something that “ought to be” made by policy makers. They are judgements
What is the economic problem
Unlimited wants, but limited income
What is the budget line?
A schedule or curve that shows various combinations of two products a consumer can by with a fixed money income.
What is an opportunity cost
What isn’t being bought due to the other option in a budget line
What are the factors of production?
Land, labor, capital, human capital, entrepreneurial ability, technology
What is Laizzez-faire capitalism
No government implications, keeping the gov from interfering. The only government implications are to protect from theft (property rights) and legal contract enforcement. Adam Smith father of this.
What is the Invisible Hand?
If we let the market be, producers and consumers will come up with an efficient and equal price (market). Prominent in Adam Smith’s model
What is the command system
All government power. Everything is owned by government. North Korea.
What is the market system?
It is a mix of decentralized decision making with some government control. Most of the world uses this. Private ownership of resrources and private markets are dominant.
What is private property?
Promotes rights to own, produce, promote ideas, and grow. Encourages people to cooperate by helping to ensure that only mutually agreeable economic transactions occur
What is the freedom of enterprise?
Ensures that entrepreneurs and rivate businesses are free to obtain and use economic resources to produce their choice of goods and services and sell to chosen markets.
What is the Freedom of choice
Enables owners to employ or dispose of their property and money as they see fit
What is self-interest
Gives direction and consistency to what otherwise would be chaotic.
What is competition
Need competition to function. Competition amongst buyers and sellers diffuses economic power within the businesses and households that make up the economy.
What is market and prices
Decisions made on each side of the market determine a set of product and factor prices that guide resource owners, entrpreneurs, and consumers
What is technology and capital goods
advanced technology and capital goods are encouraged as it helps market economies achieve greater efficiency in production
Specialization
divison of labour, geographic specialization
What does it mean to have an active but limited government?
Governement is prominent in the market system, and may be needed to alleviate market failures. Must take action during recession or inflation.
What is consumer sovereignty?
It determines the types and quantities of goods. It is consumer willingness to pay.
How will the goods and services be produced?
Minimize the cost per unit using the most efficient techniques.
How will the system accommodate change?
Changes in consumer tastes, changes in technology, changes in resource prices
Who will get the output?
Consumers with the ability and willingness to pay will get the product. Ability depends on income. Preference on WTP.
How will the system promote progress?
technological advance, capital accumulation.
What is creative destruction?
The hypothesis that the creation of new products and production methods destroys the market power of existing monopolies. Technological advances can rid people of jobs
3 Merits of the market system
efficiency, incentives, freedom
What is the coordination problem?
central planners in command systems have to coordinate millions of individual decisions by consumers, resource suppliers, and businesses. One person has to do everything. Impossible to do everything.
What is the incentive problem?
A failure somewhere can result in a chain reaction of problems. The economy is like a linkage.
What is the law of demand?
As price increases quantity decreases, and vice versa.
What are the reasons for LoD?
law of diminishing marginal utility and income effect and substitution effect
What are the determinants of demand?
Change in consumer tastes and prefernces, change in number of buyers, change in income, changes in prices of related goods, changes in consumer expectations.
What are normal goods
Increase income incerase goods. Use more due to changes
What are inferior goods?
Increase income, decrease goods. Stop using things due to changes.
What is a complementary good?
Goods that go together. Toothbrush and toothpaste. increase P decrease Q
What is a substitute good
Goods that can be replaced by one another even if different producer. Coke and pepsi. Increase P increase D.
What shifts a curve along the curve
Change in quantity demanded.
What shifts a curve forward or back
the determinants of demand. Taste differences, # of buyers, change in income. A change in demand.
What is the law of supply
As price rises, Qs increases as well and vice versa
What are the determinants of supply
A change in factor prices, a change in technology, a change in taxes and subsidies, a change in prices of other goods, a change in producer expectations, a change in the number of sellers
What is market equilibrium
Where demand and supply intersect. This means the market is efficient.
When is there a surplus?
When quantity supply is greater than quantity demanded
When is there a shortage
When quantity demanded is larger than quantity supply
When is there a price floor?
When the governement intiates nothing lower than a certain price. Compare quantity supply/demand. Protects consumers
When is there a price ceiling?
When the governement intiates nothing higher than.a certain price. Compare supply/demand. Protects suppliers
When is a ceiling binding
When a ceiling is below equilibrium, it aids suppliers to get their product sold.
When is a floor binding
Above equilibrium. Protects consumers.
What is efficient allocation?
When there is efficient resource allocation.
What is an inefficient allocation
When there is unemployment or wasted resources. Like immigrants with medical degrees are not qualified in Canada to do their primary job.
What is a consumer surplus
Difference between what a consumer is willing to pay and what the consumer actually pays.
What is producer surplus?
Difference between the actual price a producer receives and the minimum price they would accept
What is an externality?
A cost or benefit accruing to a third party external to the transaction. Someone else benefits or harmed.
What is a positive externality?
Too little is produced, and demand-side market failures. Ex: roommate who’s a good cook. Benefits
What is a negative externality?
Too much is produced, suppl-side market failures. Ex: noise pollution from neighbors. Harmed