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Midterm 1 - Macro
Vocab for first macroecon midterm
59
Economics
Undergraduate 1
02/21/2011

Additional Economics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Scarcity
Definition
the economic observation that humans have unlimited wants but only limited resources
Term
Economics
Definition
The study of how society manages scarce resources
Term
Positive Claim
Definition
Claim that attempts to describe the world as it is
Term

Normative Claim
Definition
Claim that attempts to describe how the world should be
Term
Economic System
Definition
A set of institutional arrangements to determine how to distribute the scare resources to satisfy people's wants
Term
Command System
Definition

Government owns most of the resources and a central planning board of some kind decides how the resources will be used

 

1. Incentive Problem

2. Coordination Problem

Term
Market System
Definition

Resources are privately owned and goods are privately produced according to a profit motive

 

1.Extensive property rights

2. Freedom of enterprise and choice

3. Self-interest as a primary motivating force

4. Competition

5. Existence of markets and prices

6. Active but limited government

Term
Assumptions about Consumers
Definition

1. People are rational

2. People have unlimited wants

3. People have limited income

Term
Rational
Definition
If people know what they want and how to get it, they will try to obtain it if the benefits exceed the costs given their information.
Term
Law of Demand
Definition
All other things being equal, as the price for a good does up, demand for that good does down.
Term
Reasons a Demand Curve Can shift
Definition

1. Change in income

2. Price of a related good changes

3. Tastes/preferences

4. Expectations about the economy

5. Number of buyers changes

Term
Assumptions about Firms
Definition

1. Firms act to maximize profits

2. Firms produce goods with a technology that requires resources

3. Resources are limited

Term
Law of Supply
Definition
All other things being equal, as the price of a good increases, the supply of that good increases.
Term
Reasons a supply curve may shift:
Definition

1. Change in input prices

2. Change in technology

3. Change in expectations

4. Number of sellers

Term
Market
Definition
A ________ is created when a group of buyers and sellers of a particular good or service come together and trade.
Term
Competitive Equilibrium
Definition
a price and a quantity such that at that price quantity demanded equals quantity supplied.
Term
Elasticity (definition)
Definition
The measure of how much buyers and sellers respond to a change in prices
Term
Price Elasticity
Definition
The measure of how much buyers and sellers respond to a change in prices
Term
Income Elasticity
Definition
The measure of how much buyers demand changes in response to a change in their income
Term
Elastic
Definition
Quantity responds "substantially" to a change in price
Term
Inelastic
Definition
Quantity responds"only slightly" to changes in price
Term

Midpoint Method

(Elasticity equation)


Definition

(Q2-Q1)/(Q2+Q1) * (P2+P1)/(P2-P1)

 

|elasticity| >1 = elastic

|elasticity| < 1 = inelastic

Term
Revenue
Definition
Price * Quantity
Term

Welfare Economics
Definition
The study of how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being
Term
Efficiency
Definition
The property of a resource allocation of maxmizing the total surplus recieved by all members of society (ensure that there is "no waste")
Term
Equality
Definition
Resource allocation that distributes economic prosperity uniformly amongst all members of society
Term
Consumer Surplus
Definition
What a consumer gets beyond what the consumer is willing to pay
Term
Producer Surplus
Definition
Difference between price recieved and what the producer was willing to recieve
Term
Market Efficiency
Definition
A market is ____ if total surplus is the highest it can possibly be
Term
Total Surplus
Definition
Sum of surplus recieved by all members of society
Term

Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP)

Definition

The market value of final goods and services produced within the borders of a given country within a given period of time

 

"Total amount of $ spent in the economy"

Term
Market Value
Definition
The revenue firms recieve from selling their products at the price the buyer and seller agree on
Term
Intermediate Good
Definition
A good used entirely to produce another good
Term
Final good
Definition
Any food that is not an intermediate good
Term
Goods not included in GDP
Definition

1. Intermediates

2. Land of Inventories of Goods

3. Used Goods

4. Informal Production/Home production

Term

Components of GDP

(equation)

Definition
C + I + G - M + X
Term
Nominal GDP
Definition
GDP calculated using current market prices
Term
Real GDP
Definition
GDP calculated using market prices in a base year
Term
GDP Deflator
Definition
[NGDP / RGDP ] x 100
Term
GDP Inflation
Definition

(GDP deflator in year 2 - GDP deflator is year 1)


GDP deflator for year 1

Term
Econmic Growth
Definition
the increase real GDP per capita over time
Term

Growth Policies

 

Human Capital - Education, Health and Nutrition

Definition

-Increase education = increased skills

Improve healther & nutrition of workers

Term

Growth Policies

 

Property Rights and Political Stability

Definition

Gives you incentive to invest because you know you will see the gain

 

efficient financial institution = easy to get loan = easy to start a business

Term

Growth Policies

 

Free Trade

Definition

-Increases efficieny by allowing specialization

-Increases demand for goods

-Increases foreign investment

Term

Growth Policies

 

Patents and Copyrights

Definition

-Gives corporations incentives to do research ... but you are creating a monopoly

 

-Increase innovation

-Increase monopolies

Term

Government Roles in Economy

 

Regulator

Definition

1. Provide and enforce legal structure

2. Maintain competition

3.Promote stability

Term

Government Role in Economy

 

Equalizer

Definition

1. Providing public goods/services

2. Redistribute income

3. reallocate resources

Term
People not in labor force
Definition

1. Under 16 and anyone who is institutionalized

2. Not employed (people who choose not to have a job)

-retirees

-students

-house spouses

Term

In Labor Force:

Employed

Definition
People with some kind of job
Term

In labor force:

Unemployed

Definition
People who are willing and able to work who are actively looking for a job
Term
Discouraged Workers
Definition

Some one who has given up looking for a job because they don't think that they can find one

"not employed"

Term
Unemployment rate
Definition
the # unemployed / # of people in labor force x100
Term
Labor Force
Definition
Sum of employed and unemployed
Term
Participation Rate
Definition
What percentage of population that is part of the labor force
Term
Frictional Unemployment
Definition
"search and wait" - type of unemployment caused by workers taking time to find a job that matches their skills and tastes
Term
Structural Unemployment
Definition
Type of unemployment caused by workers whose skills are not in demand by employees or who lack sufficient skills to obtain employment or who cannot move to locations where jobs are available
Term
Natural Rate of Unemployment
Definition

The rate of unemployment around which the unemployment rate fluctuates

(in USA between 4% and 7%)

Term
Unemployment Insurance
Definition

Government pays you $ while unemployed

 

-Will lengthen unemployment by making it less costly to by unemployed

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