The government and the UK's economy Flashcards
What is a recession?
a general slowdown in economic activity
What is economic growth?
the total value of all final goods and services produced in a given country in a given year
What is disposable income?
the amount of income left to an individual after taxes have been paid
2 things you might use disposable income for
spending
saving
What is an economic slump?
A period when the economy or an industry is in a bad state and there is lots of unemployment
What is economic recovery?
A period of increasing business activity signalling the end of a recession
What is demand?
The desire to own anything, the ability to pay for it and the willingness to pay for it
What is a boom?
A period of high financial growth in economy
What is the economic business cycle?
The recurring and fluctuating levels of economic activity that an economy experiences over a long period of time
What is the UK economy?
the amount of production, employment, demand and supply that takes place in the UK
What is the trade cycle?
economies commonly go through periods of economic growth and recession, which can be illustrated in a graph
Why is the government concerned with a country’s economy?
When the economy is doing well, there is lots of employment so they receive a lot of money in tax and have to pay out less in benefits
This means they can help support public sector industries like the NHS
Why does the demand curve on a supply and demand graph slope down?
The lower the price, the more people that will buy the product
Why does a supply curve slope up on a supply and demand graph?
As the price decreases, the demand increases so the supply must increase too so you have enough to sell
Where is equilibrium on a supply and demand graph?
Where supply = demand
What does equilibrium on a supply and demand graph tell us?
It determines what price a product is sold for
What are interest rates?
Interest is what you pay a bank for borrowing money or what a bank pays you for saving money
It is paid to you or you pay it back over the course of a year
How are interest rates expressed?
As a percentage of the amount of money you borrow or save
What is GDP?
The total market value of all the final goods and services produced by a country in a year
Why is GDP important when looking at where a business is on the business cycle?
It indicates levels of production and how active businesses are
What is inflation?
A general increase in prices
What is the government’s limit on inflation?
2%