Topic 3 Flashcards
Economic growth
Growth in GDP (value of output) over time
Determinants of economic growth
Investment (spending on capital goods), changes in technology, education, labour productivity, size of the workforce, natural resources and government policies (i.e. infrastructure development)
Economic growth benefits
A rise in material lifestyles
A reduction in poverty (through tax revenue)
A rise in the welfare of the population
A rise in employment
Economic growth costs
Pollution (Air, land etc)
Carbon emissions
Congestion
Loss of non-renewable resources
Inflation
A lower quality of life
Employment
The use of labour in the economy to produce goods and services
Claimant count
The method of measuring unemployment according to the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits
Level of unemployment
The number of people in the working population who are unemployed
Rate of unemployment
The % of the country’s workforce that is unemployed
Four types of unemployment
Seasonal - (changes in employment due to time of year)
Frictional - (unemployment when people move between jobs)
Structural - (Permanent decline of an industry)
Cyclical - (Fall in total demand in an economy)
Benefits of unemployment
Wage inflation kept down
Firms can be more competitive on price
Inflation kept under control
Individual consequences of unemployment
Loss of self-esteem
Lower living standards
Family issues
Become deskilled
Government consequences of unemployment
Wasted labour resources
Paying out more in unemployment related benefits
Less tax revenue
Leads to further unemployment (cyclical)
Budget deficit
Regional consequences of unemployment
‘Depressed areas’
Falling house values
Crime
Distribution of income
How incomes are shared out between households
Distribution of wealth
How wealth shared out between households
Income
A flow of money over times includes wages, rent, interest, profits (dividends) and benefits (incl. pensions)
Wealth
The combined value of a stock of assets at a particular point of time including property, land and money in the bank
Causes of uneven income distribution
Income earning assets are unevenly distributed
Differences in wages
Reliance on benefits (includes pensions)
Age
Gender
Causes of uneven wealth distribution
Inheritance
Savings
Purchase of property
Enterprise
Consequences of uneven income and wealth distribution
Poverty and deprivation (Distinguish between absolute and relative)
Poor housing
Poor health
Inequality of opportunity