Theme 3 Flashcards
Derived Demand
Demand that comes from the demand for something else
Marginal Product
The amount of output an additional worker produces
Where does profit maximise?
Where Marginal cost equals Marginal revenue (MC=MR)
Problems with working out MR
Often collaborative products, individual productivity difficult to measure. And many people set their own pay.
Factors influencing demand for labour
Wage rate (higher WR, lower demand), Demand for product (higher demand for product, higher demand), Productivity of labour,(higher productivity, higher demand(can be argued)), profitability of firms(higher profitability, higher demand), number of substitutes( cheaper machinery, lower demand), number of buyers of labour (less buyers, less demand)
Demand for labour
How many workers/employees an employer is willing and able to hire at a given wage rate in a give time period
Supply of labour
Number of workers able willing and able to work at a given wage rate
Factors effecting supply of labour
Wage rate, size of working population, migration levels, preferences for work, net advantages of work, relationship between work and leisure
Geographical mobility
The ability of workers within a specific economy to relocate to find a new or better employment
Occupational mobility
The ability to change individual occupational status
Occupational immobility
Lack of training/experience/skills to be able to transfer easily between occupations
Market clearing wage
The wage that brings the demand and the supply of labour into equilibrium
Elasticity of demand for labour in low skilled jobs
Very elastic as low skilled so many people able to do them. A change in wage will see a large change in demand
Elasticity of demand for labour in high skilled jobs
Higher paying jobs, labour supply inelastic as often require more skill meaning less people are able to do them. Therefore, a change in wage sees little change in demand
Benefits of a minimum wage
Reduces poverty, increases productivity, increases the incentive to accept a job, increases investment, counterbalance the effect of monopsony employers
Problems of increasing the minimum wage
Increases unemployment, cost-push inflation, black market, poorest don’t benefit( those on benefits), limited impact on relative poverty ( those just above the poverty line become relatively poorer), regional variations in wage, higher wages passed into consumers, increased number of workers on minimum wage
Monopsony
Market situation where there is only one buyer
Problems of a monopsony
Can lead to lower wages which increases inequality, worker pains less that MRP, have a degree of monopoly selling powers so can increase profits at the expense of consumers, care less about working conditions
How do trade unions help in a monopsony
Can cause higher wages, can be beneficial in a monopsony industry to help productivity by brining in new working practices
Concentration Ratio
The percentage of market share taken up by the largest firms
Normal Profit
The minimum profit required to keep factors of production in their current use in the long run
Abnormal Profit
Profit achieved in excess of normal profit (also known as supernormal profit)
Sub-normal profit
Profit which is less than normal (less than AC)
Characteristics of Perfect Competition
Large number of firms, homogenous products, freedom of entry/exit, firms are price takers, each producer supplies small proportion of industry output, consumers and producers have perfect knowledge of the market
Long-run supernormal profit in perfect markets
Firms have freedom of entry/exit into the market, increase of supply so a fall in price. Returns to normal profit
Perfect Market Short-run loss minimisation
In short run, if revenue is greater than variable cost you should continue to produce
Monopoly Characteristics
1 firm in the industry, only 1 product, high barriers to entry/exit, firms are price setters, producers supply fill proportion of the output, imperfect knowledge
Problems with Monopolies
High price, lack of choice, poor quality, inefficient
Origins of a Monopoly
Growth of firm, merger/takeover, legal means, acquiring patents
Monopolies are allocatively inefficient because…
The price is higher than marginal cost
Monopoly is productively inefficient because…
They don’t produce at the lowest point on the AC curve
Monopoly is X-inefficient because…
they have no incentive to cut costs.
Monopoly long-run supernormal profit
Continues to make supernormal profit, leads to unequal distribution of wealth
Advantages of a Monopoly
Benefit from economies of scale so may be more efficient, better research and development, if grown organically may be more efficient, natural monopoly (may be better to just have one firm in the industry)
Price Discrimination
Charging a different price to a different group of people for the same good
Conditions needed for Price Discrimination
Firms must operate in imperfect conditions, firms must be able to separate tickets and prevent resale, different consumer groups must have elasticities of demand