Unit 1 Flashcards
Who said, “Economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life”?
Alfred Marshall
What is the Greek word from which we get the word economics?
Oikonomos
What is the meaning of the Greek word from which we get the word economics?
to be a Steward
In previous generations, the word economy primarily referred to the management of what?
a household
What are some jobs that economists do?
- teach in universities
- work for investment cos.
- write books/give speeches
- hold government positions
How does Mirriam Websters eleventh collegiate dictionary define economics?
A social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
According to Mirriam Webster, an economy is the structure or conditions of economic life in what?
a country, area, or period
what kind of science is economics?
social
what kind of behavior does economics study?
human
What is one development which causes the people of a simple society to become economically interdependant?
the specialization of labor
What is the principle of opportunity cost?
The real cost of doing one thing includes the cost of not doing or making something else
What is created when people specialize in certain efforts and offer their goods and services to others for a price?
a market
Why does the law of supply and demand work?
because of the power of prices
In American society, what is used as the medium of exchange?
money
Money once took the form of what?
beads, shells, gold, silver, and paper certificates
What does Leonard Read mean when he says that “not a single person on the face of the earth knows how to make a pencil”?
He means that it takes millions of people to make a pencil; not just one.
What is the mystery of how the pencil was created?
there is no human mastermind behind it, instead the Invisible Hand is at work
What is the main lesson that Read wants to make in this essay?
to leave all creative energies uninhibited and create and economy that will provide what people want and need.
A group of workers who organize themselves and negotiate with business owners for higher wages and benefits is called what?
A labor union