Macroeconomics, part 10- The International Economy Flashcards
GDP definition:
The total value of outputs of goods and services produced within an economy in a given period of time
Short run economic growth definition:
Increase in the value of goods and services produced by an economy over a period of time.
Long run economic growth definition:
An increase in productive capacity of the economy from one year to the next
What is GNP?
GNP = GDP + net property income from abroad (NPIA)
Output produced by a country’s citizens, regardless of where the output is produced
Net property income from abroad definition:
Income flows (rent, wages, interest profit) earned in one country by someone in another country. e.g. renting out a property overseas
PPP definition:
Purchasing power parity. Measures how many units of one country’s currency are needed to buy exactly the same basket of goods and services as can be bought with a given amount of another country’s currency
What are the problems with using GDP per capita as in indicator of standard of living?
- Human happiness
- Non-market activities
- Environmental factors
- Informal economy
- Sustainability
- Balance of spending
Why doesn’t GDP per capita show human happiness?
National output might increase at the expense of leisure time, decreasing human happiness even though GDP is increased. Happiness is more than just the goods and services consumed
Why are non market activities a problem with GDP per capita?
There is no price attached to them, e.g. work of house wives/ husbands that would have a salary if it was paid for
Why are environmental factors a problem with GDP per capita?
- Environmental costs such as pollution would reduce the true value of GNP
- GDP includes work repairing harm, e.g. rebuilding an area after a natural disaster, creating a large GDP, but it would be better if that had never happend
Why is the shadow economy a problem with GDP per capita?
Particularly big in LEDCs with poor tax collection services. This makes their GDP seem lower that it actually is
Limitations of national income data:
- Each method of estimating GDP is imprecise, leading to inaccuracies in published figures
- Non market activities are not part of NY figures
- Undeclared economic activity
- Income is not distributed on a per capita basis
Benefits of economic growth:
- Higher living standards
- New jobs and decreased unemployment
- Increased tax revenue can fund public spending
- Improved business confidence which is attractive to foreign investment flows
- Higher consumption leads to induced increases in investment spending-
- Introduces new technology which spurs greater innovation
Risks from economic growth:
- Environmental impact
- Increased inequalities in income and wealth
- Resources are being depleted because of over consumption
How could economic growth potentially benefit the environment?
- Increased wealth could be used to buy cleaner fuels
- Resources to devote to research and development of cleaner and less resource-intensive production technologies
- Higher real incomes are associates with lower fertility rates which reduces the rate of population growth
- Change in structure of output away from traditional manufacturing industry
What economic things does the WTO do?
- Setting of tariffs
- Prohibition of manipulation of exchange rates
Why does the WTO prohibit the manipulation of exchange rates?
- By changing the exchange rate, it is interfering with another country’s level of AD
- It can cause another country to lose their comparative advantage
Quantitative controls for lending by banks:
- Reserve ratio
- Salary rules for mortgages
- Deposits %
- In the past, banks haven’t lent to people who were going to spend the money on imports
When does comparative advantage exist for a country?
- When the relative opportunity cost of production is lower than in another country
- A country is relatively more productively efficient than another
Why do different countries have different factors of production in different quantities and qualities?
- Weather
- Location/ geography
- Population
- Education levels
- Natural mineral deposits
What is what a country specialises in the production of due to?
The factor endowment in that country