week 6 Flashcards
Business Cycles; Keynesian Economics and IS-LM; Begin Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply
what are business cycles?
periods of expansion and slowdown in level of economic activity
In a recession, what happens to real incomes + unemploymnet?
A period of declining real incomes and rising unemployment.
When does a recession occur?
2+ successive quarters of negative (real) economic growth.
Depression is a _______?
severe recession.
GDP growth shows patterns of ______ and ____,
Peaks + Troughs
Periods where growth is accelerating, decelerating and in some cases declining.
business cycle: what is a peak?
A peak is where economic activity reaches a high and real output begins to decline.
business cycle: what is a trough?
Trough is where economic activity reaches a low and the decline ends.
business cycle: what is a contraction?
Contraction is when real output is lower than the previous time period.
business cycle: what is an expansion?
Expansion is when real output is greater than the previous time period.
Time series data records observations of … ?
a variable over time
what does this figure show?
- The GDP of both the UK and the EU has risen since the 1960ies.
- GDP appears to fluctuate around a trend
- There are similarities in these fluctuations between the UK and the EU data
- Fluctuations are highly irregular
What are the 2 data concepts (variables) of the business cycle?
- Procyclical variable
- Countercyclical variable
What is a pro-cyclical variable?
A variable that is above trend when GDP is above trend.
e.g Real wages
What is a countercyclical variable?
Countercyclical variable A variable that is below trend when GDP is above trend.
e.g Unemployment since unemployment tends to fall as GDP grows.
How can we use variables as indicators? [3]
- A leading indicator
- A lagging indicator
- A coincident indicator
A leading indicator is used for what?
can be used to foretell future changes in economic activity.
A lagging indicator changes when?
changes after changes in economic activity have occurred.
A coincident indicator occurs at the same time as…?
occurs at the same time as changes in economic activity.
Example: cyclical indicators to try to predict potential turning points in economic activity
What is an example of a leading indicator?
OECDs composite of cyclical indicators
what causes short run variations in economic activity?
– Shocks to the economy thru changes in C and G.
– Last year (and also this year), external shocks e.g. due to geopolitical events are especially relevant
– Rigidities in markets.
– Other:
changes to productivity levels: monetary policy: the ability of workers to seek increases in real wages; government policy; irrationality…
6 potential causes of short run variation in economic activity
①Household spending decisions.
②Firms’ decision making.
③External sources.
④Government policy
⑤Confidence and expectations
⑥Technological shocks
There are a number of different business cycle models, e.g.
New Classical, New Keynesian, Real Business Cycles
Different models rely on different _________
rely on different underlying causes + different transmission mechanisms
A very important separation between different business cycle views is …
whether policy is called for or not
“Keynesians” Business cycles reflect ______?
Keynesian business cycles reflect “imperfections” of Capitalism that we can and should try to fix
“Marxists”: Business cycles reflect _______?
Marxist business cycles:
reflect “imperfections” of
Capitalism. The only real fix is to replace Capitalism with something else.
“Hayekians/von Misesians” (a rather diverse group to be sure): Business cycles are a __________
are a natural feature of capitalism – so there is nothing to fix. Fixing something that is not broken can only make matters worse
“Hard monetarists” Business cycle says:
There is something to fix, but governments invariably will get it wrong. (=> do not try)
What dose the IS-LM model describe?
The short-run equillibrium in the goods market + the money market
What does the IS-LM model determine? [2]
- Interest rate i
- Income Y
What is the “Investment-Saving curve” (IS)?
IS Shows the relationship between Interest Rate and income that ensures equilibrium in the GOODS MARKET
– Describes the general equilibrium in the economy that results when both the goods market and the money market clear
What is the “Liquidity Money curve”? (LM)
LM is relationship between interest rate and income representing equilibrium in the MONEY MARKET
What’s the key assumption in the IS-LM model?
general price level (P) of the economy is constant (model of the short run)
What does general price level P being constant imply?
only quantities and the rate of interest can vary to clear the markets, not prices
why is constant price a reasonable description of the (v) short-run?
because prices are fixed or costly to change
How can we re-interpret Y = C + I + G + NX for the Keynesian cross?
- Y is actual production or national income
Think of this as “what is actually produces and firms want to sell”
- C + I + G + NX is planned expenditure** or **spending
Think of this as “what people actually are going to buy”
- Increasing in incomes. MPC: How much more bought for every unit increase in income
What is equilibrium of Keynesian cross?
Actual production = planned expenditure