MicroEconomics Flashcards
bun a zot; bun a lot
Define Economics
The study of financial systems and how markets work in society
Define the basic economic problem
Wants are infinite and resources are scarce. Therefore societies are forced to make a decision on what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce to, to maximise efficiency and make the best use of their scarce resources.
Describe the problem of what to produce
Due to the problem of scarcity, we are unable to produce everything we want. Economies need to make a list of priorities of what to produce and in what quantities. If an economy decides to produce more of one good, it will be able to produce less of another.
Describe the problem of how to produce
Limited economic resources need to be used as efficiently as possible, without causing harm to the environment. Therefore, we need to decide the best method to maximise output and not waste limited factors of production
Describe the problem of for whom to produce to
Economies have to decide who is going to receive the final goods and services and in what proportion.
What are the factors of production?
Capital, Enterprise, Land, Labour
Remember ‘CELL’
What are factor endowments?
The amount of Land, Labour, Capital and Entrepreneurship an economy possesses and is able to exploit.
What is ‘Land’?
All natural resources. Everything that is above the Earth and below. Eg. mineral deposits, forests, the sea etc.
What is ‘labour’?
The Human resource of an economy. It is also called ‘Human capital’. The labour force of a country can be skilled or unskilled
What is ‘capital’?
Man-made goods. Used to produce more goods and services in the economy. Also called ‘producer goods’
What is ‘enterprise’?
To organise the other three factors of production and to take the risks of production. In large companies there is a divorce between risk-taking and the running of the firm.
Consumer goods can be two things…
Single use
OR
long use/durable goods
What is a single use consumer good?
A consumer good that can only be used once. eg. bread
What is a long use/durable consumer good?
A consumer good that can be used many times eg. a car
What are basic wants?
Needs of the consumer that keep us alive eg. food, water, shelter, clothing
what is notional demand?
When consumers desire something irrespective of whether they have the resources available to purchase them
What is specialisation?
The process by a firm, region or nation to specialise in the production of a certain good or service which they hold a comparative advantage over others at.
What is division of labour?
The division of work so all workers perform different tasks and become particularly specialised at an individual task
What sort of economy does specialisation lead to?
An economy based on exchange, as we thus need exchange to receive the variety of goods that we need
What is the barter system?
The direct exchange of goods for goods.
What are the benefits of specialisation? (6)
- Increased productivity as they are more skilled in their area of production
- Leads to exchange and thus a greater variety of goods and services
- Allows workers to improve their skills in their area
- Allows nations to specialise in the goods they are best at producing as they have the comparative advantage over other nations
- Creates a larger global market
- Increases competitiveness and lowers prices
What is comparative advantage?
When a nation has a ‘margin of superiority’ over others. In other words, the cost of their factors of production are less than other countries in relation to the production of their specialised good
What are the cons of specialisation?
- Over-specialisation can lead to unemployment. People become highly skilled in only their one specialty and if the demand for them decreases, they become redundant and find it hard to find work in other sectors
- If a whole nation specialises in one good and the demand falls, the national economy can suffer greatly and nationwide unemployment can occur
What is productivity?
The measure of efficiency. The amount of time taken for a good-quality product to be produced