Unit 2 - The price system and the microeconomy Flashcards
Define effective demand
An individual’s desire for a product backed up with the ability to pay for it
What is the law of demand?
- When price increases, QD falls
- When price decreases, QD rises
What is the law of supply?
- When price rises for goods, producers will supply more
- When prices fall, quantity supplied by producers fall
Define normal good
When an individual’s income increases, their demand also increases and vice versa
Define inferior good
When an individual’s income increases, their demand for a good will fall and vice versa.
E.g: Goods that are considered as less desirable/low quality (cheap foods like ramen or frozen foods)
What are the determinants of demand?
- Income
- Price of other goods/substitute goods
- Tastes/preferences
- Expectation of future prices
- Distribution of population, size, gender, age
- Distribution of income
What are the determinants of supply?
- Cost of production
- Availability of resources
- Climate
- Technology
- Government regulation
- Taxes and subsidies
- Price of other goods producer could supply
What causes a shift in the demand curve?
- The demand curve shifts to the right when individuals are able to purchase more
- The demand curve shifts to the left when individuals are able to purchase less
Causes of shift in demand curve to the right
- Rise in income for normal good
- Fall in income for inferior good
- Rise in price of substitute
- Fall in price of complement
- Taste changes in favor of product
- Expectations of future prices rise
- Increase in population
- More even distribution of income
Causes of shift in demand curve to the left
- Fall in income for normal good
- Rise in income for inferior good
- Fall in price of substitute
- Rise in price of complement
- Taste changes away from product
- Expectations of future prices fall
- Decrease in population
- Less even distribution of income
Causes for supply curve shifting to the right
- Low COP
- More available resources
- Better climate conditions
- Improved tech
- Changes in govt regulations in reducing cost or increasing supply
- Fall in tax, increase subsidy
- Reduction in price of alternative products firm could produce
Causes for supply curve shifting to the left
- High COP
- Less available resources
- Worse climate conditions
- Setbacks in tech
- Changes in govt regulations where cost increases or it’s difficult to supply
- Increase in tax, no subsidy given
- Increase in price of alternative products firm could produce
What happens when there is a MOVEMENT along the demand curve?
- Contraction: movement UP demand curve
- Expansion: movement DOWN demand curve
- An increase in demand means a fall in price and increase in QD (expansion)
- A fall in demand means a rise in price and decrease in QD (contraction)
What happens when there is a MOVEMENT along the supply curve?
- An increase in supply means a rise in price and rise in QD (expansion)
- A decrease in supply means a fall in price and fall in QD (contraction)
Define elasticity?
It’s the responsiveness of demand or supply to a change in one of its determinants
Define PED, YED, and XED
PED = Measures the responsiveness of a change in QD of a product to a change in its price
YED = Measures the responsiveness of a change in QD of a product to a change in consumer’s income
XED = Measures the responsiveness of change in QD of one product to a change in price of another product
Define elastic demand
The percentage change in QD is more responsive than the percentage change in price
Define inelastic demand
The percentage change in QD is less responsive to the percentage change in price
Describe the meanings of values for PED
- PED = 0 (Perfectly inelastic demand) –> A change in P doesn’t change the QD
- PED < 1 (Inelastic demand) –> A % change in QD is less responsive to a % change in P
- PED = 1 (Unitary elasticity of demand) –> The % change in QD is equal to the % change in P
- PED > 1 (Elastic demand) –> A % change in QD is more responsive to a change in P
- PED = ∞ (Perfectly elastic demand) –> A small change in P brings about an infinite change in QD
Describe the meanings of values for YED
- YED < 1 (income inelastic) –> A % change in QD is less responsive to a % change in income
- YED > 1 (income elastic) –> A % change in QD is more responsive than a % change in income
- YED = 1 (unitary income elasticity) –> A % change in QD is equal to a % change in income
- YED = 0 (Zero income elasticity) –> A change in income doesn’t change the QD
- YED < 0 (Negative income elasticity of demand) –> Change in income leads to a change in QD in the opposite direction