Measuring the economy Flashcards
Define recession?
2 consecutive quaters of negative GDP growth
What is Okun’s Law?
Relationship between output and unemployment - when output growth is high, unemployment tended to fall
What is Okun’s coefficient? How is it interpreted?
The slope of the regression line when the change in unemployment is regressed against the growth in real GDP. If the slope is shallow then there is little unemployment response to recessions, suggesting the fall in incomes from recession would be evenly shared across society
What are the 3 ways to measure GDP?
- Production approach
- Income approach
- Expenditure approach
Explain production approach to measuring GDP?
= total value of goods and services produced by firms after subtracting the value of intermediate input goods and services
Explain income approach to measuring GDP?
= the sum of all incomes disbursed, including labour income, capital income, self-employment income and taxes
Explain expenditure approach to measuring GDP?
GDP = consumption + investment + government exp + net exports
What is the difference between nominal and real GDP?
Real GDP is nominal GDP adjusted for the changes in the prices of goods and services (inflation)
What is the problem with GDP measurement relating to sustainability?
Environment externalities and depletion of natural resources aren’t taken into account
What is inflation?
An increase in the general price level int he economy
What does the CPI measure?
General level of prices that consumers have to pay on a basket of goods that is chosen to reflect the spending of a typical household (including consumption taxes)
What does the GDP deflator measure?
Changes in prices in all domestically produced final goods and services
What are the problems of measuring inflation?
- Doesn’t account for change in quality
What is the difference between a stock vs flow variable? (use example)
Flow = income
Stock = wealth
What is GNI, how is it calculated?
GNI measures the economic activity of residents wherever they earn income.
GNI = GDP + earnings made abroad by residents - earnings of non-residents within the country