Extra Notes Flashcards
Water Diamond Paradox
The paradox lies in the fact that something with great utility (water) can have a low price, while something with little intrinsic utility (diamonds) can have a high price.
The resolution to this paradox lies in the economic concept of marginal utility and the law of diminishing returns:
Marginal Utility
Marginal utility is the change in total utility that comes from consuming one additional unit of a product or service.
Diminishing Marginal Utility: A key principle associated with marginal utility is the law of diminishing marginal utility. This law states that, as a person consumes more units of a good, the additional satisfaction gained from each successive unit tends to decrease.
Do viruses discriminate?
yes
Positive statements
can be classified as either true or false
In our analysis should we avoid positive or normative statements
normative
Normative statements
express value judgments about what ought to be
Effective arguments should have or can have
normative positions supported by positive analysis
Theory of economics
is a method rather than doctrine
it is a technique of thinking
Can theory be a substitute for data?
yes it is able to provide structure
Theory and introspection
theory is an antidote to introspection
Price is a
ration of 2 goods/services exchanged
What is the origin of the economic problem?
Resources are scarce
Scarcity is
Inevitable so therefore competition is inevitable
What helps mitigate the costs of scarcity?
competitive actions
Consumer vs. Producer Theory
consumer - demand/quantities demanded
producer - supply/quantities supplied
Quantity Supplied
The supply curve is upward sloping, indicating that as the price increases, the quantity supplied also increases. This reflects the principle that higher prices incentivize producers to supply more of a good, while lower prices lead to a decrease in the quantity supplied.
Consumer Theory
assumptions have to be made since you cannot measure tastes or preferences
4 behavioral postulates
- People have preferences
- People prefer more to less
- People are willing to substitute
- Marginal values are decreasing
Intrinsic Value
So, intrinsic value is about what something is really worth based on its actual qualities, not just what the market says it’s worth at any given moment.
ex) value of books and their themes TKAMB
Models are built to
predict behavior
Total value
the maximum amount of money one would be willing to spend
Ex) the highest price you would pay for a full tank of gas
Marginal Value
max amount of money one is willing to spend in order to acquire one more unit of that good
Ex) the highest price you would pay for one gallon of gas
MV of a good or service
decreases as more of that good or service is consumed
Q goes up … MV decreases
General Rule for MV
rational consumers will keep purchasing additional units until the marginal value has fallen to the price