Vocab First Midterm Flashcards
Opportunity Cost
The highest valued alternative that must be given up to engage in an activity
(it isn’t the time that something takes up, it is what could’ve been done otherwise with that time)
Centrally Planned Economy
An economy in which the government decides how economic resources are allocated
Market Economy
An economy in which the decisions of households and firms interacting in the markets allocate economic resources
Mixed Economy
An economy in which most economic decisions result from the interaction of buyers and sellers in markets but in which the government plays a significant role in allocation of resources
Productive efficiency
A situation in which a good or service is produced at the lowest possible cost
Allocative Efficiency
A state of the economy in which production is in accordance with consumer preferences; in particular, every good or service is produced up to the point where the last unit provides a marginal benefit to society equal to the marginal cost of producing it
Voluntary exchange
Both buyer and seller are made better by a transaction
Equity
A fair distribution of economic benefits
Positive Analysis
objective and based on facts / is economic theory
Normative Analysis
subjective and based on opinion
Marginal Benefit
gain from one additional unit
Marginal Cost
Cost of one additional unit
Percentage change Formula
(Value in 2nd period - Value in 1st period) / (Value in first period) x 100
Scarcity
Limited resources but Unlimited wants
Trade
Act of buying and selling
Absolute advantage
The ability of an individual, a firm, or a country to produce more of a good or service than other competitors, using the same amount of resources.
Comparative Advantage
The ability of an individual, a firm, or a country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than competitors.
3 types of Factors of Production
1) Labor
2) Capital
3) Natural Resources
The law of demand
holding everything else constant, when the price of a product falls, the quantity demanded of the product will increase, and when the price rises, the quantity demanded will decrease
Substitution effect (explaining law of demand)
The change in the quantity demanded of a good that results from a change in price, making the food more or less expensive relative to other goods that are substitutes
The Income Effect (explaining the law of demand)
The change in the quantity demanded of a good that results from the effect of a change in the good’s price on consumers’ purchasing power.
Normal good
A good for which the demand increases as income rises and decreases as income falls
Inferior Good
a good for which the demand increases as income falls, and decreases as income rises
Substitutes
a good or service that can be used for the same purpose (margarine or butter)
Complements
goods or services that are used together (toothbrush/toothpaste)
Quantity Demanded
The amount of a product that consumers are willing to purchase at a given price
Market Demand
Demand of all consumers of a good or service