Scarcity and choice Flashcards

1
Q

what is the basic economic problem?

A

Scarcity
-wants are unlimited and resources are finite,

  • so choices have to be made.

-resources need to be redistributed optimally

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2
Q

define opportunity cost

A

the value of the next best alternative forgone

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3
Q

what 3 things does the economy have to consider when producing goods?

A

•what to produce -determined by what the consumer prefers. consumers tell producers what they prefer by demanding goods and using spending votes

•how to produce it -seek profits and minimise production costs

•for whom to produce it- who ever can buy the good because they have the greatest purchasing power in the economy

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4
Q

what is an economic good (3)

A

-goods that benefit society
-they have the problem of scarcity and have an opportunity cost
-they have value so consumers will pay for them

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5
Q

what is a free good? give an example
(2)

A

-goods that have no opportunity cost because there is no scarcity of the good

-they are often freely available and not traded

-e.g. water

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6
Q

what does a PPF stand for?

A

production possibility frontier

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7
Q

what does a PPF depict?

A

-the maximum productive potential of an economy
-using a combination of goods and services
-when resources are fully and efficiently employed

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8
Q

what else can a PPF curve show?

A

the opportunity cost of using the scarce resources

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9
Q

-what do points that lie on the PPF illustrate?
-what do we need to determine which points are allocatively efficient?

A

-combinations of output that are productively efficient

-preferences

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10
Q

what does ‘the law of diminishing returns’ state?

A

-as additional increments of resources are added to a certain purpose
-the marginal benefit from those additional increments will decline

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11
Q

what does it mean if points are inside the PPF curve?

A

resources are not being used to their full productive potential

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12
Q

define ‘the unemployment of economic resources’ in terms of a PPF curve

A

when there is the potential to use resources more efficiently which would shift production closer to the PPF curve

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13
Q

-define renewable resources
-give examples

A

-resources that can be replenished
-wind, wood, water

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14
Q

-define non-renewable resources
-give examples

A

-resources that are finite and scarce. once used they cannot be replaced
-coal, oil, precious metals

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15
Q

what is a consumer good

A
  • goods that we can use and enjoy
  • the things we buy in shops
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16
Q
  • what is a capital good?
  • give examples
A
  • goods that are used in the productive process
    -they involve investments in increasing productive capacity.
  • a machine
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17
Q

what are the 4 factors of production?

A

Land
Labour
Capital
Enterprise

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18
Q

is production outside of the PPF curve attainable?

A

no

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19
Q

where on the PPF does it indicate that resources are being used efficiently?

A

on the line

20
Q

what is the consumption budget constraint?

A

a spending limit that shows the different combinations of goods and services a person can buy given their income and the price of the g&s

21
Q

define allocative efficiency

A

the mix of goods being produced represents the mix society most desires

22
Q

define comparative advantage

A

when a country can produce a good at a lower cost in terms of other goods / when a country has a lower opportunity cost of production

23
Q

define productive efficiency

A

when it is impossible to produce more of one good/service without decreasing the quantity produced of another service

24
Q

what is short run economic growth?

A

moving from inside the curve to on the curve. this involves making better use of existing productive capacity

25
Q

what is long run economic growth?

A

requires a shift in PPF curve to the right

26
Q

what causes long run economic growth/ a shift to the right in the PPF curve
(5)

A
  • Discovering more raw materials

-increase the size of work force

-increase in capital stock (invest in new machines,factories)

-increase in labour productivity (better educated workers ect)

-improvements in tech which increases labour productivity

27
Q

what causes negative economic growth/ a shift to the left
(5)

A

-declining population

-firms closing down and stopping production

-natural disasters

-large scale net outword immigration

-lack of investment

28
Q

when do you get a straight PPF line?

A

-when the marginal opportunity cost is constant (the amount of giving up one good to produce another doesn’t change)

-not realistic

29
Q

when do you get a PPF concave to the origin?

A

when there is imperfect substitution (opportunity cost) and diminishing returns

30
Q

-when do you get a rotation of PPF?

-give an example.

A

-when you see improvements in one good/ service but not the other

31
Q

what is specialisation?

A

when a country/firm/ person concentrates on producing a particular good or service

32
Q

-when will countries specialise in producing goods?

-give example.

A

-when they have a comparative advantage

-Cuba produces sugar because of its favourable climate and fertile soil

33
Q

-what is division of labour?

-give example.

A

-when workers concentrate on different tasks within a firm

  • a car building firm may have some who work on design, some who work on testing
34
Q

what is productivity of labour?

A

the output per worker, per period of time

35
Q

how does specialisation link to productivity of labour?

A

specialisation enables an increase in overall productivity because specialised workers can become more efficient

36
Q

what are the advantages of specialisation in the production of goods? (3)

A

-workers are trained to gain skills for one particular job so it takes less time to be trained

-firms can be more efficient when producing on a large scale, this can lower average costs

-makes a big production task manageable by spreading work out

37
Q

what are the problems with specialisation in the production of goods? (2)

A

-highly specialised jobs can be repetitive, this leads to boredom and possibly diseconomies of scale

-if one person is absent, the whole production line may slow down if other people can’t cover their job. Therefore, there needs to be flexibility

38
Q

what are the advantages of specialisation in trade? (4)

A

-world trade is highly specialised. Growth in world trade enables higher living standards, greater choice of goods and more competition

-countries don’t have to produce every good they need which would be impractical for smaller countries

-countries can make use of their best resources

  • enables countries to import goods they otherwise wouldn’t be able to produce
39
Q

what are the disadvantages of specialisation in trade? (2)

A

-concentrating on a small number of goods can make an economy vulnerable

-it may hamper development if countries stick to producing primary products, which have low elasticity of demand

40
Q

what is a market?

A

-a product market refers to how a good is bought and sold
-the market will determine the price and quantity sold

41
Q

in economics we assume firms and consumers are..

A

rational

42
Q

what does rationality mean?

A

maximising economic welfare and making decisions to enable this

43
Q

what does rationality mean?

A

maximising economic welfare and making decisions to enable this

44
Q

-what is utility?
-what is the relationship between consumers and utility?

A

-how much people benefit from consuming a certain good
-consumers wish to maximise their utility. they will spend money on goods only if they believe the utility gained is greater or equal to the cost

45
Q

what is profit?
what is the formula for profit?

A

-the amount of money a firm gains after subtracting costs from its total revenue
- profit = total revenue - total costs