Test 1 Flashcards
Scarcity
Evers to the limited nature of society’s resources, given their unlimited wants and needs
Economics
The study of how people allocate their limited resources to satisfy their unlimited wants
Macroeconomics
The study of the overall aspects and workings of an economy
Microeconomics
The study of the individual units that make up an economy
Incentives
Factors that motivate a person to act or exert effort
five foundations of economics
Incentives, trade-offs, opportunity cost, marginal thinking, trade creates value
Types of incentives
Positive, negative, direct, indirect
Unintended Consequence
Unplanned result of an incentive
Trade-off
Choosing between two options. China shut down factories for cleaner air
Opportunity Cost
The highest-valued alternative that must be sacrificed in order to get something else. Driven by trade-offs
Economic Thinking
Requires a purposeful evaluation of the available opportunities to make the best decision possible
Marginal Thinking
Requires decision-makers to evaluate whether the benefit of one more unit of something is greater than its cost
Markets
Bring buyers and sellers together to exchange goods and services
Trade
The voluntary exchange of goods and services between two or more parties
Comparative Advantage
Refers to the situation where an individual, business, or country can produce at a lower opportunity cost than a competitor can
GDP
The market value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a specific period
Three uses of GDP
Measuring living standards, measuring economic growth, determining whether an economy is experiencing recession or expansion
Per Capita GDP
GDP per person used to measure living standards
Market Value Equation
Price x quantity
Inflation
The growth in the overall level of prices in an economy
Real GDP
GDP adjusted for changes in prices
Economic Growth
Measured as the percentage change in real per capita GDP
Starts with GDP but adjusts for inflation and population growth
Recession
A short-term economic downturn