econ U3 AOS 1 Flashcards
Relative scarcity
The basic economic problem of having unlimited needs and wants with limited resources to satisfy them
Opportunity cost
The value of the next best alternative forgone
The three economic questions & how to explain
What & how much to produce? How to produce? Who to produce for?
How to answer
What & how much to produce?
- The market indicates through relative prices the needs and wants of society which ultimately signals to producers where resources should be allocated
How to produce?
- Producers are profit-motivated thus they will choose the lowest-cost method of producing
Who to produce for?
Wages determine who gets what in a market economy
e.g. surgeons make more bc there’s less supply of surgeons and they are inelastic to society
Perfectly competitive market
[PIGBE] A market that meets the conditions of (1) many buyers and sellers, (2) all firms selling identical products, (3) perfect knowledge, (4) little government regulation, and (5) ease of entry and exit from the market.
The law of demand
As prices increase, the quantity demanded decreases
What is the difference between a shift in the demand curve and a movement along the demand curve? (DISC PP)
A shift is caused by changes in non-price factors: [DISC PP] = a movement along supply curve
- disposable income
- substitute & complementary product prices
- preferences & tastes
- interest rates [tax, etc]
- population demographics
- consumer confidence
Movement along the curve is caused by price factors:
- meaning a change in the price of the g+s itself
How demand-side factors cause shifts in the graph
A demand-side factor
- left or right accordingly
- Increased demand = right shift
- Decreased demand = left shift
what do the shifts [decrease & increase] & movements [contractions & expansions] along the demand curve mean
shift/movement left = less quantity demanded at all prices
shift/movement right = vice versa more Qd at all prices
Disposable income + Discretionary income
- The money available for spending or saving after personal tax has been paid
= wages - taxes + transfers - Disposable income available for spending and saving after an individual has paid for non-avoidable expenditures
Demand factor
- Increase $ = increase in demand of g+s as consumers have more purchasing power.
–> demand curve shifts to the right
- vice versa = Decrease mean shift to the left
Interest rates
The cost of borrowing money/ the reward for saving money
Demand factor
- increase means a shift to the left
- decrease [low rate] means shift to the right
Substitutes + Complements
- Good or service that serves same purpose as another good or service
- Good or service that is consumed with another good or service
Demand factor
- price increase means shift to the left [ppl don’t want to buy the sub anymore bc its more $$]
- price decrease means shift to the right
Consumer confidence
a measure of how optimistic consumers are about the overall state of the economy and their own personal finances
demand factor
- increase means shift to the right
- decrease means a shift to the left
Population growth/demographics
- Increase in the # of ppl in a country or region
- Characteristics of people in a country or region e.g. age, gender, income, education & ethnicity
Pop growth is a demand-side factor
- increase means shift to the right
- decrease means a shift to the left
Labour productivity
The level of output per unit of labour
Production
The process of converting resources into goods and services
The law of supply & what does the upward slope of the supply curve indicate?
- As the price increases, the quantity supplied increases [as long as cost of production remain constant]
- Indicates a positive relationship between prices and Qs
What is the difference between a shift in the supply curve and a movement along the supply curve?
Non-price factors cause the supply graph to shift [CP COST] = a movement along demand curve
- cost of production
- # of suppliers
- tech
- productivity
- climactic changes
Price of the g+s causes an expansion or contraction of the supply curve
Contraction along supply curve & Expansion along supply curve
Movement down [left] the supply curve
- A decrease in price means a decrease in Qty supplied
Movement up the supply curve
- $ increase Qs increases
What do shifts in supply curve mean
shift left = less quantity supplied at each and every price level. [decreased supply]
shift right = vice versa more Qs at all prices
Productivity
supply-side factor: Measure of outputs per input
Increase = shift curve to the right
Production costs
increase = shift supply curve left
Climatic conditions
A supply-side factor
good climate conditions = decreased production costs = shift to the right
number of suppliers
increase # of suppliers = shift right
Technological change
A supply-side factor
- better tech = supply curve shifts right [increased productivity & outputs]
- new equilibrium price
Market mechanism
The interaction between supply and demand to determine the equilibrium price and quantity traded
Surplus & Shortage
Where Supply > Demand causing downward pressure on price
Where Demand > supply causing upward pressure on price
Material living standards
A households ability to access goods and services