Midterm 1 Flashcards
Economist as a scientist
Approach like scientists - theories, collect and analyze data to refute theories
—scientific method: the dispassionate development and testing of theories about how the world works (nation’s economy) - can’t manipulate data (inflation), so study natural experiment’s through history
Role of assumptions
Simplify the complex world and make it easier to understand - then apply to the complex world(more focused and direct)
–assume away many details of economy that are irrelevant to the current question at hand
Circular flow diagram
explains in general terms how economy is organized and how participants interact with each other - shows how dollars flow through markets among households and firms
FIRMS - Produce goods and services using inputs (labor, land and capital) - inputs are called FACTORS OF PRODUCTION
—households own the factors of production and consume all the goods
HOUSEHOLDS are buyers and FIRMS are sellers
TWO MARKETS - in circular flow diagram
- Markets for Goods and services - households BUY (goods and services) and firm SELL (goods they produce)
- Markets for factor of production - households SELL (inputs - land, labor, capital) and firms USE the those inputs to produce
Flow of money - households buy goods from firms - use revenue to pay for FOP (L,L,C) - wages to hire employees - make profit and income to firm owner’s, who are member’s of households
Production Possibilities Frontier
Graph that shows the combinations of output that the economy can possibly produce - with available FOP and Technology
SLOPE - Measures OPP. Cost (loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one is chosen) of a car (x) in terms of computers (y)
Beyond curve is INFEASIBLE POINT - Cn’t produce bc limited resources/ FOP
outcomes are efficient if on the curve and inefficient if inside it
OPP. Cost of a car is the slope of the frontier (rise/run)
–flat = low slope and low opp. cost - steep = high slope and high pop. cost
ADV. IN tech. of computer (y) - Cars stays same place and same steep but # comp. produced increases and bulges upward to be more steep
Microeconomics
Study of how HOUSEHOLDS and FIRMS make decisions and interact in the economy (Small - microscope)
EX. Effects of rent control in NYC, Impact of foreign comp. on auto industry, effects of school attendance on workers’ earnings
study of businesses and individuals
Macroeconomics
study of economy wide phenomena - inflation, unemployment, and economic growth (big picture) - looks at changes in totals
Ex. study effects of borrowing by deferral gov. changes overtime in rate of unemployment, or alternative policies to improve living conditions
study the forces and trends that affect the economy as a whole
-study of gov. and large societies
Economist as a policy adviser
when they are trying to explain the world they are scientists, when trying to improve it they are policy advisers - explain economic events and recommend policies to improve
Scientists (make claims how the world works)
policy advisers (claim how they would like to change
Positive statements
descriptive - claim to explain how the world is - scientists
-measurable, quantifiable, verifiable
normative statements
Prescriptive - claim how the world ought to be - policy advisers
judge 2 stmts differently - can confirm or refute positive stmts by examining evidence - use ethics, religion and political philosophy to decide good or bad policy (normative)
3 parts of gov. that regularly rely on economists
President, Congress and Federal Reserve
Economists disagree for 3 reasons (give conflicting advice)
- disagree about the validity of alternative positive theories of how world works
- have different values - diff. normative views about what gov. policy should aim to accomplish
- Perception vs. reality - broken window fallacy
Differences in scientific judgement vs. diff. in values
disagree about whether gov. should tax household income of consumption (spending) ◦ —Consumption tax would encourage those to save bc income isn’t taxed - spend less would free resources for accumulation and make for rapid productivity - other side believes they wouldn’t respond differently to changes
—-diff. normative views bc have different positive views about saving’s responses
values - disagree with who should be taxed more - higher income = higher taxes? moral fair?
perception vs. reality
–Broken window fallacy - Sometimes people see that broken window leads to hiring employer, spending and economic activity - but economists see both sides - the money used for broken window could have been spent elsewhere (new suit)
economists often conflict. bc scientific judgments or diff. in values - but at times when agree, policymakers ignore advice bc of many forces and constraints imposed in the political process
Economics
the study of how gov., companies and individuals make choices about how they use scarce resources in the economy
–simple - economics is the study of choice - what motivates gov., companies, and industries to make the choices they make
Independence and gain from trade
trade can make everyone better off
–benefit bc of specialization - easier and then trade for what is more difficult
Production possibilities frontier with trade
Graph always shows the principle of TRADEOFFS - If both parties are self sufficient and do not trade - the PPF is also the consumption possibilities frontier - eat their own produced goods
-but if specialize it improves the possible consumption amount on both sides
Absolute advantage
driving force of specialization
–more efficient than the other person - ability to produce a good using fewer inputs than another producer - requires the smaller quantity of inputs to produce a good
Comparative advantage
ability to produce a good at a lower opp. cost than another producer - if a producer has a lower opp. cost (gives up less to produce than the other) they have comp. advantage
–each is the inverse of the other opp. cost
EX. Frank = meat (4 oz. potatoes) and potatoes (1/4 oz. meat) - comp. adv. in potatoes
Ruby - meat (2 oz. potatoes) and potatoes (1/2 oz. meat) - comp. adv. in meat
specialization
specialize where your comp. advantage is the largest - or where opp. cost is the least - then buy the reast
possible to have abs. adv. in both goods but NEVER possible to ave comp. adv. in both
gains from specialization and trade are based on comparative adv. not absolute
Trade can benefit everyone in society bc…
it allows people to SPECIALIZE in activities in which they have a comparative advantage
- -for both parties to gain from trade, the price at which they trade must lie btw the two opportunity costs
- -used to advocate free trade among countries
however trade sometimes makes individuals worse off even though it improves the country (farmer vs. autoworker)
Marginal cost
maybe one employee is best at everything - but have to give bad employees - good employee gets burnt out after 17 hours and is less efficient than bad employee who is rested - doesn’t matter if you have absolute adv. a everything
forces that drive the market
supply and demand - determine prices and quantity produced of each product
Market/ Competitive market
group of buyers and sellers of a good or service
competitive market - market in which there are many buyers and many sellers so that each has no effect on market price
–each seller has limited control of price bc other sellers are offering similar products (wheat market)
–each buyer has small influence bc each buyer purchases such a small act.
CALLED PRICE TAKERS
in highest form of competition, market has 2 characteristics
- ) the goods offered for sale are all exactly the same
- ) the buyers and sellers are so numerous that no single buyer or seller has any influence over market price
monopoly
markets only have one seller - this seller sets the price
law of demand
other things equal, the quantity demanded of a good falls when the price of the good rises
–QD: amt. of good buyers are willing and able to purchase
market demand - sum of all individual demands of a specific good
demand schedule
table shows the relationship btw price of good and QD
-Price on Y and demand on x axis - line is demand curve
Determinants that shift the DEMAND curve
- NUMBER OF BUYERS IN MARKET
- –inc. # = inc. QD at each price - shifts RIGHT - INCOME
- -Normal good: good for which an increase in income leads to an inc. in demand (Steak, vacations, cruises)
- -inferior good - income rises and demand decreases (Raman noodles) - PRICE OF RELATED GOODS
- –Substitutes: can replace - an inc. in price leads to inc. in demand for other good (coke and Pepsi, laptop and tablets)
- –complements: pairs - if one price rises other demand decreases (hotdogs and buns) (textbooks and tuition) - TASTES
- -switch tastes toward good - inc. in demand - BUYER’S EXPECTATIONS ABOUT FUTURE
- –Expect an inc. in income = inc. in current demand
- -expect higher prices, inc. in current demand
Law of supply
claim that QS of good rises when price of good rises
–as price rises, supply more and more of a good - if price is low, consider closing and not selling
market supply - sum of the quantities of all sellers at each price
–shift right if inc. QS and left if decreases
supply curve - sloped upwards bc higher price means a greater QS
Determinants that shift SUPPLY curve
- INPUT PRICES
- –supply is negatively related to prices of inputs
- -ing. and things used to produce - price inc. then supply decreases - TECHNOLOGY
- -New machine to reduce cost and resources - R shift - EXPECTATIONS
- -if expect price of ice cream to rise in future, will put away ice cream now and save to supply more in future - shift left - NUMBER OF SELLERS
- -Inc. number of sellers and QS increases
equilibrium
market price has reached level where quantity supplied = QD
–equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity
surplus and shortage
surplus - QS is greater than WD - EXCESS SUPPLY
- –respond by CUTTING price = inc. demand and decrease supply
- -price change so MOVES along demand curve but not shift
shortage - not enough supplied to meet QD - EXCESS DEMAND
–respond by RAISING price - QD decrease and supply rise
3 steps to analyze changes in equilibrium
- Decide whether event shifts the supply or demand curve (or both)
- Decide which direction curve shifts
- Use supply and demand diagram to see how shift changes equilibrium price and quantity