Theme one Flashcards
What is the definition of micro economics
Economics concerned with single factors and the effects of individual decisions - buisnesses
What is macro economics
Economics concerned with large scale or general economic factors, such as interest rates and productivity - government
What is the definition of demand
The quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price in a given time period
What is the law of demand
As price increases, quantity decreases, they have an inversely proportional relationship
What is the opportunity cost
The cost of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made
What is the definition of supply
The quantity of a good/ service producers are willing and able to produce at a given price in a given time period
What is the law of supply
As price increases, quantity increases, they have a directly proportional relationship
What happens when we increase quantity produced and why
The price of the product will increase as increasing price is necessary to maintain profit margins
What can we see from Production possibility curves/ production possibility frontiers
Maximum possible production within given factors of production and various combinations of two goods/ services that can be produced
What are the factors that affect demand?
Population (directly proportional relationship)
Advertising (directly proportional relationship)
Substitutes price (other businesses increasing price will increase demand)
Income
Fashion/ tastes
Interest rates (If interest rates decrease consumers are more likely to buy luxury goods)
Complements price ( printers + printer ink)
What are normal goods
Cars, eating at restaurants
What are inferior goods
Fast food or public transport
What are the factors of production
Capital (machines and tractors, man made)
Enterprise (entrepreneurs, people at the top)
Land
Labour
What does a linear PPF show
Constant opportunity cost
What does a concave PPF show
Increasing opportunity cost
What is productive efficiency
Using all the factors of production to the maximum availability, this can be seen at any point on the curve
What are some ways businesses could increase production of a product
Reallocate factors of production so there is more focus on the desired product
Increase quality/ quantity of factors of production, this will positively affect both goods. They could also do this for just one of the products
What is the term which means all other factors remain unchanged?
Ceteris parabus
What is increasing the price known as?
Extension of demand
What is decreasing the price known as?
Contraction of demand ( due to quantity demanded decreasing )
What is allocative efficiency
Whether a product being produced is satisfying to consumers
What is Pareto efficiency?
The idea that no one can be made better off without making someone else worse off
What is productive efficiency?
Using up all the factors of production to their maximum level
What are the factors which affect supply
Productivity (output per worker/ per machine per hour)
Indirect tax (tax on production)
Number of firms (how many of the same business)
Technology
Subsidy (money grant given by the government)
Weather (agricultural businesses)
Cost of production
(oil, raw materials, gas, electricity, rent)
What is the definition of a market?
Any place where buyers meet suppliers to exchange goods or services
What is equilibrium
Where demand and supply are equal
What does it mean if someone says the market is clear
The market is at equilibrium
What is a free market
A market without intervention from the government
How does the price mechanism work if the price is too high?
A signal is sent to producers that the price is too high, this can be seen through empty tables, fully stocked shelves etc. They are given an incentive to lower their prices, the supply and demand are now at a perfect equilibrium.
How does the price mechanism work if the price is too low
A signal is sent to producers, seen by competition between buyers, long queues or huge waiting lists. Producers will raise their price, supply and demand are now at a perfect equilibrium
What are the four functions of the price mechanism
Allocate recourses effectively by creating equilibrium, demand is now at the same level as supply (4)
Rationing excess supply/ demand by encouraging or discouraging consumption, raising the price lowers demand, lowering the price raises demand (3)
Sending a signal to producers that prices are too high/ low (1)
Incentivise to change price and increase profit (2)
What is excess supply?
If supply is greater than demand, the excess is the amount extra that there is
Where can we see equilibrium on a demand/ supply and price graph
At the point where demand and supply are the same
What is consumer surplus?
The difference between the price consumers are willing and able to pay for a product and the price they actually pay
How do we calculate consumer surplus
The area below the demand curve and above the price line
What happens to consumer surplus as price is decreased?
Consumer surplus increases
What is producer surplus?
The difference between the price producers are willing and able to produce a good or service for and the price they actually receive
How do we calculate producer surplus?
The area above the supply curve and below the price line
What happens to producer surplus as the price is increased?
Producer surplus also increases
What is society surplus?
The sum of producer and consumer surplus
What happens to the demand of a good if its compliments price increases?
It decreases
What happens to the demand of a good if the price of its substitute increases?
It will increase as more consumers will be willing to buy it
What is derived demand?
When the demand for a good or service comes from the demand for something else, aeroplanes are derived from the demand for holidays
What is an example of derived demand
Labour is derived from the demand for goods and services
What is composite demand?
The idea that two goods need the same input to make them
What is an example of composite demand?
Cheese and butter both need milk
What will happen to the quantity production of a good if its composites demand increases?
It will decrease
What is joint supply
The idea that the increase of the production of one good will also increase the production of another good due to the second good being a byproduct of the first
What is an example of joint supply
Honey and beeswax
What is the definition of price elasticity of demand (PED)
Measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded given a change in price
What is the equation for PED
%change in quantity/ % change in price
What does it mean if the PED is more than one
Demand is price elastic
What does it mean if the PED is less than one?
Demand is price inelastic
What does it mean if PED is 0?
Demand is perfectly inelastic
What does it mean if PED is infinity?
Demand is perfectly price elastic
What does it mean if PED is 1?
Demand is unit price elastic
What is price inelasticity mean?
Quantity changes by proportionally less than price
What does price elasticity mean?
Quantity changes by proportionally more than price
How do we draw price inelasticity?
Vertical line
How do we draw price elasticity?
Horizontal line
Price is elastic if there are
Substitutes (more of)
Percentage of income (more of)
Luxury (more) necessity (less)
Addictive (inelastic)
Time period (inelastic in the short term, becomes more elastic)
What is division of labour?
Dividing the production of a product into smaller tasks and allocating labour to each task
What are the advantages of specialisation of labour
- Increased efficiency as workers become more efficient in their small area
- Less time/ money spent on training
- More specialist tools can be made
- Less time moving tools/ moving between jobs so more time efficient
5.
What are the four functions of money?
- Method of exchange- of goods and services
- Store of value - workers can earn their wages and store them for later
- Measure of value - money helps us to understand how much things are worth
- Measure of deferred payment - banks can loan people money and add interest so that when the money is payed back it still has the same value
What is an economy with no money known as?
A barter economy
What is a positive statement
A factual statement
What is a normative statement?
A value judgement
What are constraints?
Limits to what we can afford to consume
How do we calculate total revenue?
Price of a product x quantity sold
What is total revenue?
Total income
What happens to revenue if the price is elastic
If we increase the price, revenue will decrease
If we decrease the price, revenue will increase
What happens to revenue if the price is inelastic?
If we increase the price, revenue will increase
If we decrease the price, revenue will decrease
What is PES?
Price elasticity of supply
What does PES measure?
The responsiveness of quantity supplied given a change in price
How to calculate PES?
Change in quantity supplied/ change in price
What type of number is PES?
Positive
How do we show that supply is price elastic?
Horizontal line
How do we show that supply is price inelastic?
Vertical line
What are the factors affecting PES?
Production lag - the longer it is the more inelastic price is
Stocks - the more you have the more elastic
Spare capacity- more is more elastic
Substitutability of factors of production- how quickly you can switch to producing more of a different good
Time - inelastic to elastic
What is XED?
Measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded of a good/ service given a change in the price of another
How do you calculate XED?
% change in quantity demanded of good A/ % change in price of good B
What does it mean if XED is positive?
Goods are substitutes
What does it mean if XED is negative?
Goods are compliments
What does it mean if XED is more than one?
Demand is price elastic (strongly related)
What does it mean if XED is less than one?
Demand is price inelastic ( weakly related)
What does it mean if XED is 0?
Demand is perfectly price inelastic ( no relationship)
How do we draw XED> 1
Horizontal line
How do we draw XED<1?
Vertical line
What does YED measure?
The responsiveness of quantity demanded given a change in income
How do we calculate YED?
YED = % change in quantity demanded/ % change in income
What does it mean if the YED is positive?
It is a normal good
What does it mean if the YED is negative?
It is an inferior good
What does it mean if YED is more than one?
Demand is price elastic and the good is a normal luxury
What does it mean if YED is less than one?
Demand is inelastic normal necessity
What is PED useful for?
Useful for pricing decisions to increase total revenue, if price is elastic and they know it is going to fall in the near future, they need to increase employment, output and stocks
What is the use of PES?
Find ways to make supply price elastic by increasing the effectiveness of the PSSST factors
Why is XED useful?
Pricing decisions- if there are two compliment goods for example printers and printer ink, reduce the price of printers so people buy one, they will need printer ink so increase the price of that and make more profit
Substitutes - cut the price of your substitute, if they cut their price follow their lead. Compete on non price factors to make yours and your substitutes good less similar- avoid price wars. Be prepared to increase output if substitutes raises price, have less output if substitute lowers price
Why is YED useful?
Useful for planning for recessions and booms e.g if producing a normal good and there is a boom increase price, employment, output and stocks
What are the limitations of using price elasticity to make decisions?
These figures are only estimates based off data collected through surveys
Some businesses base these figures off data based off competitors and past data which is assuming cetris parabus which is inaccurate
PED varies along the demand curve
What are the uses of indirect tax?
Raise government revenue
Solve the market Chris is of goods such as cigerettes/ alcohol/ fuel ( reduce the consumption of goods which do harm to society)
What is direct tax?
Tax on income that can’t be transferred such as income tax or national insurance
What is indirect tax?
Tax on income that increases cost of production but can be transferred to consumers via higher prices
What is a specific tax?
A tax per unit
How do we draw a specific tax on a graph?
Can be drawn as a parallel line to the original tax - supply curve shifts upwards
What is AD valorem??
Tax as a % of price
How do we draw specific tax on a graph?
The supply curve will pivot
How do we work out government revenue from a specific tax diagram?
Go to the new equilibrium
Work out the vertical difference between the two supply curves
Multiply by the quantity sold at this point
How to work out consumer burden?
Quantity of new equilibrium X the point from the original price to where it matches equilibrium in quantity
How to calculate producer burden?
Original price to where it matches equilibrium in quantity down to the same point on the original supply curve X quantity sold
How to calculate producer revenue after indirect tax?
Go down from the new equilibrium to the same point on the original supply curve, the price X quantity of this product is the new producer revenue
Dead weight loss?
The triangle of original equilibrium, new equilibrium, and the same point on the original supply curve from the new equilibrium
What is the burden for consumers if demand is price elastic?
Lower
What is the producer burden if demand is price elastic?
Higher
What is the government revenue if demand is price elastic after indirect tax
Lower
What is the consumer burden if demand is price inelastic?
Higher
What is the producer burden if demand is price inelastic?
Lower
What is the government revenue if demand is price inelastic?
Higher
What happens if demand is perfectly price elastic?
Producers take the entire burden and gov rev is at the lowest
What happens if demand is perfectly price inelastic after indirect tax
Consumers take the entire burden and government revenue is at the highest
What is the consumer burden when supply is price elastic after indirect tax
Higher
What is the producer burden when supply is elastic?
Lower
What is the consumer burden when supply is price inelastic?
Lower
What is the producer burden when supply is price inelastic?
Higher
Who takes all the burden when supply is perfectly price elastic?
Consumer