HSC - Economics Flashcards
Free - Trade
No barriers to trade are imposed between economies
Specialisation
When countries only make the goods/services that they can optimise in producing
Most efficient producer
absolute advantage in production of goods
Comparative Advantage
Countries should produce the goods where they have the lowest opportunity cost
Public Sector
all parts of an economy owned or controlled by the government. Includes government business enterprise.
- Public sector outlay as a percentage of GDP
- Employment by the public sector as a percentage of total employment
Taxes - catagories
1) Progressive tax = higher income earners pay a larger proportion of their income in tax
2) Proportional tax = higher income earners pay the same proportion of their income in tax
3) Regressive tax = higher income earners pay a smaller proportion of their income as tax
Opportunity Cost
The value of your choice’s next best alternative
Advantage to Free - Trade
Consumers
1) Lower prices
2) Improved availability of goods
3) Increased Consumer choice
Producers
1) Improved efficiency of domestic industries
2) Structural change and specialisation
Economy
1) Reduced inflation
2) Increased international competitiveness
3) Increased economic growth
Allocative efficiency
when resources are allocated in a way that reflects demand and makes best use of them
Structural change
Change in size and composition of industries within the economy
Trade Agreements
Formal agreements between countries designed to breakdown barriers to trade
- bilateral agreements - (ANZCERTA) no barriers at all
- Multi-lateral - more than 2 members (WTO)
- Trade Blocs - barriers to trade reduced
- Monetary Unions - currency conversion costs are removed encouraging investment and trade
Methods of Protection
1) Tariff = Tax on Imports
2) Quota = Restriction on the amount of a goods/services that can be imported
3) Subsidies = cash payments given by the government to produces
4) Local content rules = government specifies that goods must contain a minimum percentage of locally made parts
5) Export incentives = Incentivising firms to export (grants, loans or technical advice)
Protection definition and effect
Refers to government policies that give domestic producers an artificial advantage over foreign competition
- Keeps price higher and slows innovation
- Makes it hard for countries to identify their areas of comparative advantage
- Harder for countries to achieve economies of scale
- Inhibits efficient allocation of global resources, thus reducing global growth
- Developing countries tend to be most negatively effected
Autarky
A state of self efficiency
The global economy
sum of all countries in the world engaging in economic activity
Gross World Product (GWP)
Refers to sum of total output of goods/services by all economies
Globalisation
Refers to the integration between countries and economies and the impact of international influences on all aspects of life
Effects
- Increased trade
Caused by
- Improvements in technology
International economic integration
Occurs when trade barriers are reduced or removed between countries to facilitate growth, trade investments and the mobility of resources
Financial Flows
Flow of Money between countries
Another indicator of globalisation is the integration of international financial markets/ Money flows between countries far quicker than goods This includes: - Bond markets - Share markets - Remittances - Foreign markets
Caused by
- Deregulation = the removal of regulations or restrictions
- Technological advancements
Effects
- Countries can access money to finance domestic investment, leading to faster accumulation of capital, more employment and increased range of products
- Speculative actiivty can cause volatility
Transnational corporations (TNC’s)
A company that operate in at least 2 countries
Caused by:
- Technology improvements
- Also growth in merges (when one company buys another)
Effect:
- Less small business
- Increasing technology
- Potentially low taxes and labour laws to attract TNC’s
Foreign direct investment (FDI)
Investor establishes a new company aborad or buys >10% of shares in extisting (overseas) company
Portfolio Investment
The short term movement of funds between economies for loans or the purchase of shares (<10%)
Migration
The movement of people between countries on a permanent or long-term basis
Cause
- Political
- Differing job prospects
International Business Cycle
The fluctuations in global economic growth. The level of growth in one country is influenced by what is going on in other economies