Topic 1 Flashcards
What is the global economy?
Sum of interactions between diff economies that are now increasingly linked as one eco unit
What are the effects of an increasingly integrated global economy?
Because the various economies are increasingly linked to each other, a single change in an economy can have ripple effects on others. This idea is reflected in the covid-19 pandemics and the war in Ukraine which has led to detrimental impacts for economies around the world because everything is increasingly linked, i.e. a downturn in America will lead to a downturn in Australia
In other words leads to higher eco shocks
What are developed/advanced economis?
Refers to high income, industrialized or developed economies with high levels of economic development, close economic ties with each other and have liberal-democratic, political/economic institutions
What is GWP?
Refers to the aggregate value of all goods and services produced worldwide each year in the global economy) sum of total output of g/s by all economies in the world over a period of time
What is globalisation?
Integration between different countries and economies and the increased impact of international influences on all aspects of life and eco activity
What are the indicators of globalisation?
Trade in g+s
Financial Flows
Increased TNCs and investment
Technology, transport and communication
International division of labour
Explain how trade in g+s is an indicator of globalisation?
It is important indicator of globalisation as it is a measure of the extent to which g+s are produced in an economy and are consumed in other economies and shows how interconnected countries are in relation to trade which would depict globalisation
What is the growth in value of exports of g+s from 1990 to 2021?
US 4.3 trillion to $30.1 trillion
What are some causes of increased trade of g+s? (3)
Comparative advantage, new tech and transport, trade liberalisation
What is comparative advantage?
Idea that economies do not produce all items they need or not as efficiently as other countries. And that countries should specialise in producing a certain product that they have a comparative advantage in (more efficient and less opportunity cost)
How has the comp of global trade changed?
Change from manufacturing goods and services to fuels and minerals + commercial services
What are financial flows?
Financial flows refer to the movement of cash in and out of a country
How are financial flows an indicator of globalisation?
Because it gives an indication of how much money is moving around the world, and thus depicts how reliant countries are on financial flows. It is the most globalised feature as money moves quicker than g/s or peopl
What are some benefits of financial flows? (2)
Enables countries to obtain funds that are used to finance their domestic investment
Global financial flows can allow a country to achieve higher levels of investment and thus experience greater growth
What are the 2 causes of increased financial flows?
Financial deregulation (controls flow of money)
New tech and global communications (link financial markets throughout the world)
What is FDI?
Movement of funds between economies for the purpose of establishing new companies or buying a substantial proportion of shares in an existing company
How is investment and TNCs an indicator of globalisation?
TNNCs have production facilities around the world, thus leading to global investment flows through TNCs. Also, they show reliance on other economies which they might be sourcing certain things from. FDI has allowed for more globalisation as there are increased financial flows through SST speculative shifts of money
What are TNCs
Global companies that dominate global product and factor markets which have production facilities in at least two countries
What are the impacts of TNCs?
TNCs expand production facilities in a country, which lead to bringing in foreign investment, new tech, skills and knowledge –> increased efficiency, they also bring FDI to a country which increases the extent of globalisation
How does tech, transport and communication impact globalisation?
Technological developments facilitate the integration of economies.
For example, there is cheaper and more reliable int communication through high speed broadband allowing the provision of commercial services to consumers around the world (increasing financial flows)
Also, developments in freight tech and increased use of automation and robotics allow for greater trad in g+s
Transport also allow for greater labour mobility between economies – > international division of labour
What are some benefits of tech, transport and communication?
Boosts trade of tech
Drives FDI
Greater innovation
Greater productivity of labour and capital in production
What does international division of labour mean?
Refers to the specialisation of people according to labour tasks in production process.
Explain the nature of international division of labour (i.e. what happens at the top)?
At the top end, highly skilled workers are attracted to larger, higher income economies - OECD reports that migrants moving from developing to developed economies has increased from 36% to 51% in the past two decades (as of 2019)
Some smaller advanced economies suffer from a brain drain as skilled and talented workers are attracted to other countries with greater rewards
At the bottom end, low skill labour is in demand in advanced economies where it may be difficult to attract sufficient people born locally for certain jobs - typically filled by migrants
How does international division of labour affect globalisation?
This is because there is greater interconnectedness between countries in relation to the transfer of labour
Also migrants may remit their incomes to their family in other ecos
How many people does International Labour organisation estimate have migrated to work in different countries?
around 169 million people
What is the business cycle?
Refers to fluctuations in the level of eco growth due to either domestic or international factors
What is the International business cycle?
Refers to the fluctuations in the level of eco activity in the global economy over time
What is the regional business cycle?
Fluctuations in the level of eco activity in a geographical region of the global economy over time, i.e. SEA
Can regional business cycles have diff patterns to the overall global eco activity?
Yes
What are reasons for regional business cycles having different patterns than global eco activity? (4)
Diff regions may be at diff stages of eco development
1 or 2 large economies may shape a regional business cycle because of the way that their changing growth levels flow onto other economies in the region
Common eco policy settings in a region will result in growth rates becoming more closely linked
Eco crises can intensify regional business cycles as a loss of confidence in one economy can spread quickly to neighbouring economies
What is some proof that countries eco growth are parallel to thee eco activity of the country’s eco region or the rest of the world?
Aus experienced 4.2% growth in 2011 due to commodities boom due to China’s strong EG of 10%
Aus influenced by G7 economies, with 63% of changes in output being influenced by G7 economies
What are factors that influence differences in business cycles between economies?
Interest rates (higher IR –> lower EG, vice versa)
GOV FP
Exchange rates (will impact on level of trade competitiveness and confidence within economies)
Structural factors (differences in levels of resilieince in financial system , innovation, tech etc.)
Regional factors (Some economies may be closely linked with neighbours and thus influenced by their eco performance, same vice versa)
What are 5 factors that strengthen the international business cycle?
Trade Flows Investment flows and investor sentiment
Transnational corporation
FInancial flows
Technology
Commoditity prices
What are 5 factors that weaken the international business cycle?
Domestic interest rates
Gov fiscal policies
Other domestic eco policies
Exchange rates
Structural factors
Why do certain factors have a negative influence on the international business cycle?
Because they can cause more fluctuations in thee global economy, and some certain factors may actually cause contractions in the int business cycle such as high interest rates domestically.
What are some factors impacting the transmission of eco conditions from one country to another?(7)
Increased trade flows
Increased investment flows
Increased transnational corporations
Financial flows
Financial market and confidence
Global interest rate levels
Commodity prices
What is free trade?
Defined as a situation where governments impose no artificial barriers to trade that restrict the free exchange of g+s between countries with the aim of shielding domestic producers from foreign competitors (i.e. governments no longer imposing protection)
What is the basis of free trade?
Argument that economies will be able to achieve higher levels of eco growth in a free trade environment thus leading to increased GWP.
The main argument for free trade is based on the concept of comparative advantage (which is essentially the principle that even if one country can produce all goods more efficiently than another country, trade will benefit both countries if each specialises in the production of the good in which it is comparatively more efficient)
How is comparative efficiency/advantage measured?
A country with greater comparative efficiency has a lower opportunity cost than the other country
What is absolute advantage (Note: not in syllabus)
Where an economy which is able to produce a greater quantity of a product given a certain level of resources than another economy should produce those goods more.
What are five advantages of free trade?
Allows countries to obtain g+s that they can’t produce themselves or in sufficient quantities or sufficient efficiency
Allows countries to specialise in the production of g+s in which they are most efficient → better resource allocation and increased production within countries and throughout the world → Increased GWP because everything is much more efficient
International competitiveness will improve, as domestic businesses will have to face greater competitive pressures from foreign producers → greater innovation→ greater efficiency
Greater tendency for specialisation → economies of scale → lower average cost of production
Higher living standards as a result of lower prices → Increased production of g+s and increased consumer choice, as countries have access to goods that a lack of natural resources may otherwise prevent
What are 4 disadvantages of free trade?
National security may be undermined if economy is dependent on trade in a time of emergency, i.e. war or pandemic
Production surpluses from some countries may be dumped (sold at unrealistically low prices)
Difficult for less advanced economies to establish new industries if they aren’t protected from larger foreign competitors
May encourage environmentally irresponsible production methods because producers in some nations may win markets by undercutting competitor’s prices, which may only be achieved through undercutting environmental standards
What are the 5 international organisations that we study?
World Trade Organisation (WTO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
World Bank (WB)
United Nations (UN)
Organisation for economic corporation and development (OECD)
What is the role of the WTO?
Implement and advance global trade agreements
Resolve trade disputes between member economies
What are some criticisms of the WTO?
WTO has been ineffective in enforcing compliance among powerful nations (wealthy nations can afford expensive process of challenging)
WTO gives priority to free trade over environmental protection. (WTO overturned clean air legislation in the US that restricted oil imports from Venezuela), overturned on the basis that they are an unacceptable trade restriction
Slow progress in accepting certain proposals
When was the WTO founded, and how many members?
1995, 164 members
When was the IMF founded, and how many members?
Founded in 1944, Has 190 members covering all nations
What is the role of thee IMF?
Maintain international financial stability, particulalrly in relation to FOREX markets
What are the main responsibilitis of the IMF? (4)
Making resources available to members experience BOP (balance of payments) difficulties
During crises in individual economies, the IMF develops a ‘rescue package to help stabilise the economy’
Facilitating the expansion of international trade
Maintain international financial stability
What are some examples of the IMF being useful?
During 2008 GFC, IMF injected 250 billion into global economy providing global liquidity, and provided specific support for countries hit hard by the crisis
During Covid-19 pandemic, $219 billion in loans to 92 countries, allocated $650 billion of special drawing rights
What are some benefits of the IMF?(5)
Ensure global financial stability when financial crisis occurs (i.e. the emergency loan of US$17 billion to Ukraine in 2014 where a security crisis threatened to cause a major financial crisis)
Can suspend interest payments on loans to help developing nations cope with eco dowwnturn
IMF advises its members about policies that foster economic stability, reduce vulnerability to eco and financial crises and raise living standards
In 2010, th IMF altered it governance structure to give developing and emerging economics a greater say over IMF policies in which they may disagree with
In the LT, IMF policies are to support the free trade of g+s and the free movement of finance and capital throughout world markets
What are criticisms of the IMF? (4)
Pressures certain countries into changing eco policies to be able to receive financial assistance
IMF is controlled by richer countries thus leading to the idea that it benefits richer countries more
IMF has been criticised for moving too slowly and cautiously such as in the covid 19 pandemic
The IMF’s policies that it wants countries to follow may make conditions worse for economies affected. (the measures demanded by the IMF upon Greece during the crisis intensified the collapse of Greece’s GDP, falling 26% lower than the IMF projection
When was the WB formed and how many member countries?
1944, 189 member countries
What is the main role of the World Bank?
Helping poorer countries with eco development, focus of funding investment in infrastructure, reduce poverty and help countries adjust their economies to demand of globalisation.
What are the 2 major goals and objectives of the world bank
Reducing the rate of extreme poverty to less than 3 percent of the world’s population by 2030. At 3 percent level, those in poverty will mostly be experiencing ‘frictional poverty’, that is, poverty related due to short-term disasters such as extreme weather events rather than long term poverty.
Reducing inequality by fostering income growth for the world’s bottom 40%.
Note: also aimed to achieve the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals
How does the World Bank provide support?
Make loans to developing countries that are below standard commercial rates to help fund infrastructure projects such as power plants, roads and dams.
Attempts to influence design of macro and micro economic policies to create conditions conductive to foreign investment and development
What are the benefits of the world bank?
It makes loans to developing countries at rates below standard commercial rates in order to fund infrastructure projects such as power plants, roads and dams
World bank supported the (HIPCI)Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, which aims to reduce debt by ⅔ in the world’s poorest countries in Africa, South Asia and Latin America (The world bank provided US$60 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees in 2017)
What are some criticisms of the WB?
World Bank’s programmes are vulnerable to corruption - policy advice focuses on pro-market policies which nurture foreign investment
Debt relief is an irresponsible eco policy - some claim that debt relief is irresponsible as it creates an expectation that all debts will one day be written off, increasing the chance that gov in developing countries will incur more unsustainable debt
When was the UN formed, how many members?
Formed in 1945, 193 members
What are the 3 key objectives of the UN:
Maintaining international peace and security
Promote human rights
Foster social and eco development
Provide humanitarian aid
Has the UN played an important role in supporting greater linkages between economies and promoting globalisation?
Yes
What was UN’s comprehensive response to covid?
Created Recovery Trust Fund programming US$75 million to 80 programmes spanning 67 countries
Initiated coordinated responses across vulnerable domains such as public health, education, women and global supply chains
What is the OECD, how many members?
It is an international eco organisation of 38 mostly advanced economies committed to democracy and open markets.
What is the main goal of the OECD?
Promote policies to achieve the highest sustainable co growth and employment and a rising standard of living in member countries while maintaining fiscal stability, thus leading to the development of the world economy
Policies generally advocate in favour of free markets, globalisation
What are the 2 gov eco forums that we study?
G7 and G20
What are free trade agreements?
Formal agreements between countries designed to break down barriers to trade within those nations. There are two types; bilateral and multilateral trade agreements
What are trading blocs?
Occurs when a number of countries join together in a formal preferential trading agreement, which leads to the exclusion of other countries
What are monetary unions?
A monetary union is where two or more countries share a single currency. This makes trade between member nations more efficient, i.e. Europe’s Euro
What are regional trade agreements?
Regional trade agreements refer to treaties that are signed by two or more countries to encourage the free movement of goods and services across the borders of its members - i.e. more efficient trading
However, this may lead to trade diversion in which a country’s imports of a good or service switch from the most efficient producer to a less efficient producer with whom a regional trade agreement exists
What are the countries involved with G7?
US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Italy