week 7 Flashcards
Open Economy Macroeconomics
when understanding fluctuations:
it’s easiest to imagine the economy begins in _____
LR equilibrium:
(intersection of AD+LRAS);
- output = natural output
- expected price level = actual prices
AD + SRAS curves intersect too if expected price level = ___________
expected price level = actual price level
Draw the long run equilibrium
Short run fluctuations occur due to:
- Demand Driven
- Supply Driven
Possible causes of demand driven fluctuations?
Wave of pessimism,
stock-market bust,
drop in exports (recession abroad),
monetary contraction, etc.
What happens after a demand driven contraction?
- Output falls (hence employment falls)
- Price level falls
With time, how does a d-d contraction revert back? Diagram.
With a contraction in AD… what happens to actual prices?
They drop below expected prices
with a demand driven contraction, we would expect prices to ______. It is _______
fall . It is deflationary.
What is a supply driven fluctuation?
Cost push
A shift in AS.
Possible causes for SRAS shift/supply driven fluctuation?
Sudden inc. in production costs
Increase in price expectations
What happens right after a SRAS driven contraction?
- Output falls
- Price level increases
= STAGFLATION
Define stagflation
Stagflation is like having the worst of both worlds in the economy. It happens when there’s a mix of two bad things at the same time: stagnant growth and high inflation.
Stagnation: This means the economy isn’t growing much, or even shrinking. Businesses might not be expanding, people might not be getting jobs, and overall, things feel sluggish.
Inflation: This means prices are rising rapidly. So, while the economy might not be doing well, the cost of goods and services keeps going up. This can make it harder for people to afford things, even if they’re not making more money.
When you put stagnation and inflation together, you get stagflation. It’s a tricky situation for policymakers because the usual tools they use to fix one problem can sometimes make the other problem worse. So, it’s like trying to solve two puzzles at once, and it’s not easy.
How does a SRAS fluctuation revert back to normal?
- Short-run AS shifts back to right
- Output reverts to its natural rate as price level falls
What is an example of an AD driven recession?
The great depression. Real GDP fell by 27%, unemployment rose from 3 to 25%, prices fell by 22%. Money supply decreased by 28% (this lowered AD and most scholars think was the principal cause of the depression).
Example of demand pull?
Early 1940s, boom caused by increased wartime expenditures (increases AD). Unemployment dropped from 17 to 1%, prices rose by 20%.
Cost push example?
The Oil Crisis in the 70ies
Cost pull example?
More difficult to identify, but an example would arguably be new technologies (computers) driving expansion in the 90s
Why was the COVID pandemic a special contraction?
caused markets to shut down completely
Why is 2022/23 complicated?
- There was an element of negative AS shock - higher prices of oil and gas
- BUT combined with aggregate demand already being shifted “TOO far to the right” due to pandemic policies
It caused inflation to shift AD to the left, Central Banks raised interest rates.
If we consider a shift to left in the SRAS curve e.g oil price increase… it will lead to ____?
stagflation, though over time output will revert to its natural rate and prices “drop back down”
To immediately counter the drop in output from SRAS shifting left (and employment), policy makers may elect to do what?
May elect to shift the AD curve to the right so that output returns quickly to its natural rate.
What is the cost of shifting AD to the right to combat SRAS shift to left?
Higher inflation.
Draw a diagram of accommodating an adverse shift in SRAS
How do policy makers in practice shift the AD curve? [2]
- Monetary Policy
- Fiscal Policy
What are monetary and fiscal policy?
Monetary policy is changing the supply rate + interest rates
Fiscal policy are changes in government spending + taxation
How do changes in money supply affect interest rates?
A change in the money supply shifts the AD curve (C,I, XM)
- An increase in money supply leads to lower interest rates which is expansionary (shifts AD to the right for any given price level)
- A decrease in money supply leads to higher interest rates which is contractive (shifts AD to the left for any given price level)
— Note: We can also understand this via the LM curve from the IS-LM model (“theory of liquidity preference”)
How does purchasing government bonds increase AD?
Central Banks: These are the main banks of a country. They’re responsible for managing the country’s money supply, interest rates, and sometimes, overall economic stability.
Government Bonds: These are like IOUs issued by the government. When you buy a government bond, you’re essentially lending money to the government. In return, the government promises to pay you back the amount you lent (the principal) plus interest over a specified period of time.
So, when a central bank purchases government bonds, it’s like the central bank lending money to the government by buying these IOUs. This is one of the ways central banks can influence the economy, such as by injecting money into the financial system to stimulate economic activity.
Draw diagram of expansive monetary policy
How does fiscal policy work?
This directly shifts the AD curve
(to the right if fiscal policy is expansionary; to the left if fiscal policy is contractive)