Economic performance Flashcards
What is Short run economic growth?
The percentage change in the real GDP of a country from one year to the next.
What is Long run economic growth?
occurs when the productive capacity of the economy is increasing
How is SR growth shown on a PPF diagram?
The PPF would remain constant, it is a movement from point A to B.
How is long run growth shown on a PPF diagram?
PPF would shift outwards
How does increased capital investment lead to economic growth?
- Economies of scale and better competitiveness
- Investment helps to sustain export-led growth
- Bigger capital stock can lift productivity/incomes
What is a positive output gap?
occurs when the actual level of output is greater than the potential level of output. ( usually means there is the unemployment of resources in an economy)
What is a negative output gap?
occurs when the actual level of output is less than the potential level of output. (It could be due to resources being used beyond the normal capacity)
How do you illustrate an output gap on a AD AND SRAS DIAGRAM?
A negative output gap is between Ye and Y1, and a positive output gap is between Ye and Y2.
What are some of the benefits of economic growth?
- Higher living standards, reducing absolute poverty e.g higher GNI per capitaL-
- Accelerator effect
What are some of the economic and social costs of economic growth?
- Risks of higher inflation and higher interest rates
- Environmental effects
What are the characteristics of a boom?
High rates of economic growth
- Near full capacity or positive output gaps
- (Near) full employment
What are the characteristics of a recession?
Negative economic growth
- Lots of spare capacity and negative output gaps
- Demand-deficient unemployment
What is a recession?
two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth
What problems may a positive output gap cause?
Main problem is rising demand-pull and cost-push inflationary pressures
What are the possible effects of a negative output gap?
- unemployment
- less inflationary pressures
Why may growth not be sustainable?
Fast growth may deplete supplies of natural resources and create future environmental problems meaning future growth may be weak.
What are 3 methods of measuring national income?
Income method ( wage) = Expenditure method (consumption = Output method ( primary, secondary)
What is net investment?
Net investment is total capital expenditure minus depreciation of assets. Net investment gives an indication of how much the effective productive capacity of a firm is increasing
What does deprication mean?
A decline in value for example, if a machine breaks down and is no longer useable..
What is gross investment?
It is the total amount the economy spends on new capital goods.
When is net investment postitive?
Net investment can only be positive if capital accumulation is > depreciation and depreciation always occurs
Suppose, in the first year of business, a firm invested £2 million on new machines. In this first year, the gross investment (£2m) would be the same as the net investment (£2m) – because there is no depreciation.
However, in the second year, let us imagine one machine worth £0.5m breaks down.
In the second year, if the firm spends an extra £1.3 million on buying new machines. Then in the second year:
Gross investment = £1.3 million
Depreciation = £0.5 million (the machine that broke down)
Net investment = £0.8 million
At the end of the second year, the firm has machines with £2.8 million which are working.
If a firm has depreciation of £5 million, but only spends £3 million on capital expenditure, What is the net investment?
Then it is seeing negative net investment of £ -2million. The productive capacity of the firm will be declining which may affects its ability to produce goods in the future.
What are costs to a consumer of economic growth?
Consumers could face more shoe leather costs, which means they have to spend more time and effort finding the best deal while prices are rising.
The benefits of more consumption might not last after the first few units, due to the law of diminishing returns.
What are menu costs and how is this a problem due to economic growth?
This is the cost of changing price lists. When inflation is high, prices need frequently changing which incurs a cost.
However, modern technology has helped to reduce this cost.
Why would there be income inequality when there is high economic growth?
Low skiled workers may find it hard to get the higher wages than high skilled workers, in which high wages are linked to an increase in responsibility( although this could cause stress on employer, reducing productivity)
What is Says law?
Supply creates its own demand
Why does supply create its own demand?
If a businessman produces a good, then he will be keen to sell it. This production creates wages for workers and income for the businessman. Therefore, the production has increased wealth and leads to demand for other goods.
What are 2 evaluations of Says law?
Liquidity trap
Excess saying :Paradox of thrift (is a concept that if individuals decide to increase their private saving rates, it can lead to a fall in general consumption and lower output.)
What are 3 ways of creating Long run economic growth?
Innovation ( new tech)
Increase spending on education and training
increasing the population size
What is the diagram to show Long run economic growth ?
What are 2 examples of Demand side shocks?
Consumer confidence boosted ( house price increase meaning increase in C)
Major trading patrners go into recession ( reducing demand for our exports)
What are 2 supply side shocks?
1) A poor harvest would reduce the supply of food increase price, reducing capacity.
2) Discover of a new source of material which greatly reduces the price.
What are 4 things that cause cycal instability?
Excessive growth of credit
Animal spirits
Destabilising speculation and asset price bubbles
herding
How does Excessive growth in credit and levels of debt create instability?
when credit is cheap and consumers feel confident, they often spend more and accumulate debt. Increase in AD. This may lead to rising interest rates. high debt may also bring down spending as people will have to pay off what they owe,
What is another effect on firms due to the higher interest rates?
Firms could also delay investment projecys and become cautious
How does Asset price bubbles lead to Cyclial instability?
A market bubble occurs when the price of an asset is predicted to rise significantly. This causes it to be traded more, price rises beyond asset true value. The bubble then ‘bursts’ when the price suddenly falls to its ordinary level. This causes panic and investors try and sell their assets. It results in a loss of confidence and it can lead to economic decline or a depression.
How can the behavior of people cause economic instability?
“Animal Spirits” - human behaviour is often guided by instincts and emotions, rather than economic realities.
What is herding?
Herding is the act of reacting to the behaviour of other economic agents rather than the market.
How does Herding lead to cyclial instability?
This might be because some investors think other economic agents are better informed about the market, so they follow their actions.
Leads to reckless speculation
What is Speculation?
investment in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.
What is GDP?
it is the total value of goods and services produced within an economy in a given period of time.
What is GNP?
is the total value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a particular yeat plus net income from overseas investments and remittances.
Thats why GNP is higher than GDP
What does Standards of living mean?
refers to the amount of goods and services consumed by households in one year. ( RNI/ population)
What is remiitance income?
Are transfers of money across national boundaries by migrant workers.
Would do we assume about GDP?
HIGH GDP = High standards of living
What are problems with using real GDP per capita as indicator of standard of living?
Human happiness ( Quality of life)
Black market
Non market activiites
GDP is not distrubted on a GDP per capita basis
Why is Human happiness a better way to measure standards of living rather than GDP?
Happiness is determined by many other things rather than goods and services such as changes in number of worked and working conditions.
Why is the shallow economy a better way to measure standards of living rather than GDP?
Offical GDP doesn’t take into account the black market so GDP statistics are inaccurate. The hidden economy for drugs and prositiution was 10bn in the recent estimate, which would increase GDP per capita