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Macroeconomics > Week 8 > Flashcards

Week 8 Flashcards

1
Q

Business cycle

A

Fluctuations in the economy are often called the business cycle

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2
Q

Three key facts about economic fluctuations

A

Economic fluctuations are irregular and unpredictable.

Most macroeconomic variables (that measure some types of income or production) fluctuate together
Do they do so by the same amounts?

As output falls, unemployment rises
Why?

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3
Q

Explaining short-run economic fluctuations

A

Most economists believe that classical theory describes the world in the long run but not in the short run

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4
Q

The basic model of economic fluctuations

A

Two main macroeconomic variables, output and prices, are used to develop a model to analyze the short-run fluctuations.
The economy’s output of goods and services measured by …?
The overall price level measured by…?

The model looks at the aggregated behaviour of households and firms, how it is affected by Y and P and how these in turn affect the behaviour

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5
Q

AD

A

The aggregate-demand curve (AD) shows the quantity of goods and services that households, firms, and the government want to buy at each price level

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6
Q

An important note AD

A

it is also possible to present the model in terms of inflation rather than the price level, with the intuition slightly changed (inflation rate used in a textbook)

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7
Q

Components of AD

A

The aggregate demand for goods and services has four components:

Aggregate Demand = C + I + G + NX

Aggregate Supply = Y

In equilibrium, supply = demand

Therefore, in equilibrium Y = C + I + G + NX

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8
Q

The aggregate-demand curve illustrated

A

Photo 15/9

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9
Q

The demand curve for an individual commodity is downward sloping because of two effects:

A

Substitution effect: when ice cream becomes cheaper people buy more ice cream because they are switching from frozen yogurt (a substitute)

Income effect: when price of ice cream falls and income is unchanged, people feel richer and, therefore, buy more ice cream

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10
Q

The demand curve for an individual commodity is downward sloping because of two effects:

EXTRA NOTES

A

But the AD curve can consider only changes in the overall price level. If all prices decrease, there can be no substitution effect
It is inconsistent to talk about changes in aggregate demand while assuming unchanged income, because aggregate income must be equal to aggregate demand. Therefore, the income effect can’t be applied to the aggregate economy.

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11
Q

Shifts in the Aggregate Demand Curve

A

PHOTO 15/8

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12
Q

Why the Aggregate-Demand Curve Might Shift

Shifts arising from

A

Consumption: consumer optimism, tax rates, prices of assets (stocks, bonds, real estate)

Investment: technological progress, business confidence, tax rates, money supply

Government Purchases

Net Exports: foreign GDP, expectations about exchange rates

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13
Q

The aggregate-supply curve

A

The aggregate-supply curve (AS) shows the quantity of goods and services that firms choose to produce and sell at each price level.
In the long run (LR), is Y affected by P?
What is then the slope of LRAS?

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14
Q

The long-run aggregate-supply curve

A

Photo 15/8

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15
Q

Why the Long-Run Aggregate-Supply Curve Might Shift

A

Any change in the economy that alters the natural rate of output will shift the long-run aggregate-supply curve.

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16
Q

Any change in the economy that alters the natural rate of output will shift the long-run aggregate-supply curve.

A

Labor: population growth, immigration, natural rate of unemployment

Capital, physical or human

Natural Resources: price of imported oil

Technology

Laws, government policies

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17
Q

The short-run aggregate-supply curve

A

We empirically observe that in the SR, unlike the LR, an increase in the overall level of prices in the economy tends to raise the quantity of goods and services supplied.
A decrease does the opposite
Put differently, P has temporary but not permanent positive effect on Y

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18
Q

The short-run aggregate-supply curve

A

Photo 15/8

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19
Q

WHY does a nominal variable like M or P have effect on a real variable like Y???

A

There are 3 main theories
All have something to do with some imperfections in the adjustment process
All lead to an upward sloping SRAS

20
Q

There are 3 main theories
All have something to do with some imperfections in the adjustment process
All lead to an upward sloping SRAS

A

(1) the misperceptions theory
(2) the sticky-wage theory
(3) the sticky-price theory

21
Q

How the SRAS curve shifts

A

SRAS1 shows the aggregate supply curve for 2010
the expected price level and the natural rate of output, must be on the SRAS curve
If either Pe↓ or YN↑, the green dot moves down or to the right
When the green dot shifts, so must the AS curve

Photo 15/8

22
Q

The long-run equilibrium

A

Photo 15/8

23
Q

Two causes of recession

A

In some LR equilibrium (called the steady state) all the main variables are either constant or change by a certain (unchanging) percentage
For example: inflation is 2% each year, output growth is 3% each year etc.
New economic developments (shocks) however may shift the three curves further and this leads to SR fluctuations
The economy then has a tendency to go back to some LR equilibrium (either the original one or a new one).
This works through the supply side and is called the self-correcting mechanism

24
Q

Case (1): A Contraction in Aggregate Demand

A

3 photos

15/8

25
Q

Case (1): ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS: AD

A

Contraction (leftward shift) in Aggregate Demand (AD)

26
Q

Case (1): ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS: AD

In the short run

A

output decreases,
the overall price level decreases, and
the unemployment rate increases

27
Q

Case (1): ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS: AD

In the long run

A

the overall price level decreases,

but output and the unemployment rate remain unchanged at their long-run levels

28
Q

Case (2): ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS: AS

A

A leftward shift in Short-Run Aggregate Supply
Output falls below the natural rate of employment
Unemployment rises
The price level rises
If the government does nothing, the SRAS will shift back to where it was.
The price level, total production and unemployment will be unaffected in the long run.

29
Q

Case (2): An Adverse Shift in Aggregate Supply

A

photo

15/8

30
Q

Stagflation

A

Adverse shifts in aggregate supply cause stagflation — a period of recession and inflation
Output falls and prices rise.

31
Q

The effects of a shift in aggregate supply

A

Policy responses to recession
Do nothing and wait for prices and wages to adjust (the economy to self correct)
Take action

32
Q

Accommodating an Adverse Shift in Aggregate Supply

A

photo

15/8

33
Q

Why is the aggregate demand curve downward sloping

A

Inflation rate and investments (Interest rate effect)

Inflation rate and wealth (Pigou’s wealth effect)

Inflation rate and net exports (Mundell-Flemings exchange rate effect)

34
Q

(Mundell-Flemings exchange rate effect)

A

A lower inflation rate lowers the interest rate. Investors will seek higher returns by investing abroad. The increase in net foreign investment raises the dollar supply, lowering the real exchange rate. Domestic goods become relatively cheaper compared to foreign goods. Net exports rise thereby increasing the quantity of goods and services demanded.

35
Q

(Interest rate effect)

A

A lower inflation rate induces the RBA to reduce the interest rate which encourages greater spending on investment goofs. It therefore increases the quantity of goods and services.

36
Q

(Pigou’s wealth effect)

A

A decrease in the inflation rate (overall price level decreases) makes consumers feel wealthy. In turn it encourages them to spend more.

37
Q

Why the aggregate supply curve is vertical in the long run

A

In the long run an economy’s supply of goods and services depends on its supplies of resources along with the available production technology. Because the inflation rate does not affect the determinants of output in the long run, the LRAS curve is vertical at the natural rate of output.

38
Q

The new classical mispercetions theory

A

Changes in the inflation rate (overall price level) can temporarily mislead suppliers about what is happening in the markets in which they sell their output. Suppliers respond to changes in the level of prices and thus the SRAS curve is upward sloping.

39
Q

The Keynesian sticky wage theory

A

Wages do not adjust to changes in prices in short run therefore real wages change and suppliers adjust their output levels. A lower rate of inflation makes employment and production less profitable leading firms to lower the quantity of goods and services supplied.

40
Q

The new Keynesian sticky price theory

A

The prices of some goods and services are also sometimes slow to respond to changes in the economy (menu costs). An unexpected fall in inflation rate leaves some firms with higher than desired prices which depresses sales and induces the firms to lower the quantity of goods and services supplied.

41
Q

Why the short run supply curve might shift

A

Events that shift long run

Inflation rate expectations

42
Q

Events that shift long run

A

Events that shift the LRAS will shift the SRAS as well e.g. production costs, technology, minimum wages.

43
Q

Inflation rate expectations

A

People’s expectations of the inflation rate will affect the position of the SRAS curve even though it has no effect on the LRAS curve. A higher expected inflation rate will decrease the quantity of goods and services supplied and shift the SRAS curve to the left whereas a lower expected inflation rate increases the goods and services supplied and shifts the SRAS curve to the right.

44
Q

If the world oil price increases

A

If the world oil prices rise, then short-run AS would decrease

45
Q

Keynes attempted to explain:

A

short-run economic fluctuations and advocated policies to increase aggregate demand

The Keynesian school of thought argues that due to the multiplier effect, a relatively small increase in aggregate expenditures will have a larger final effect on total expenditures over time and therefore only a proportionally small boost to national spending is required to close a relatively large gap in GDP (being the gap between the actual level of GDP and the full employment level of GDP). Thus, Keynes advocated aggregate demand focused policies.

46
Q
  1. When an increase in the minimum wage raises the natural rate of unemployment:
A

both short-run and long-run aggregate-supply curves shift to the left

Macroeconomics (12 decks)

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