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MACRO
STUDY GUIDE MIDTERM
92
Economics
Undergraduate 2
10/28/2009

Additional Economics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
welfare economics
Definition
study of how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being
Term
willingness to pay
Definition
max amount a buyer will pay for a good
Term
consumer surplus
Definition
amount buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it
-use demand curve measure (area below curve & above $ = c.s.)
-used to answer buyer's wellbeing rise in response to lower price
-measures the benefit buyer receives from participating in a market
Term
What concept helps to make judgments about the desirability of market outcomes (yet does not reflect economic well-being)?
Definition
consumer surplus

...because measures benefit received by buyer as the buyer themselves perceives it
Term
cost
Definition
value of everything a seller must give up to produce a good
Term
producer surplus
Definition
amount a seller is paid for a good minus the seller's cost of providing it
-use supply curve (vs. demand) to measure
-supply curve shows the cost of the marginal seller, the seller who would leave the market first if the price were any lower
-area below the price and above the supply curve measures the p.s. in a market

-measures the benefit sellers (vs. consumer surplus) receive from participating in a market
Term
efficiency
Definition
property of a resource allocation of maximizing the total surplus received by all members of society
Term
What analysis is used to evaluate market outcome?
Definition
market efficiency
Term
What tools (2) are used to address: is the allocation of resources determined by free markets desirable?
Definition
consumer + producer surplus

...study welfare buyers/sellers
Term
formula consumer surplus
Definition
c.s.= value to buyers- amount paid by buyers
Term
formula producer surplus
Definition
p.s.= amount received by sellers- cost to sellers
Term
formula total surplus
Definition
t.s.= (value to buyers- amount paid by buyers) + (amount received by sellers- cost to sellers)

or

value to buyers- cost to sellers
Term
equality
Definition
property of the distributing economic prosperity uniformly among the members of society
Term
3 insights market outcomes:
Definition
1. free markets allocate the supply of goods to the buyers who value them most highly, as measured by their willingness to pay.
2. Free markets allocate the demand of for goods to the sellers who can produce them at least cost.
3. Free markets produce the quantity of goods that max the sum of consumer & producer surplus
Term
formula total government tax revenue
Definition
T x Q

T= size of the tax
Q= quantity of the good sold
Term
deadwight loss
Definition
the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion, such as a tax
Term
What causes deadweight loss?
Definition
Taxes because they prevent buyers/sellers from realizing some of the gains from trade
Term
world price
Definition
price of a good that prevails in the world market for that good
Term
tariff
Definition
a tax on goods produced abroad and sold domestically

-reduces the quantity of imports & moves the domestic market closer to its equilibrium without trade
Term
Benefits of Free Trade:
Definition
- increased variety of goods
-lower costs through economies of scale
-increased competition
-enhanced flow of ideas
Term
GDP (gross domestic product)
Definition
the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time
Term
GDP formula
Definition
Y = C + I + G + NX

Y= GDP
C= consumption
I= investment
G= government purchases
NX= net exports
- identity equation must be true because the way the values are defined
Term
consumption
Definition
spending by households on goods/services with the exception of purchases of new housing
Term
investment
Definition
spending on capital equipment, inventories, and structures, including household purchases of new housing
Term
government purchases
Definition
spending on goods/services by local, state, & federal governments

... also called "gvnt consumption expenditure and gross investment"
Term
net exports
Definition
spending on domestically produced goods by foreigners (exports) minus spending on foreign goods by domestic residents (imports)
Term
nominal GDP
Definition
the production of goods/services valued @ current price
Term
real GDP
Definition
the production of goods/services valued @ constant prices
Term
GDP deflator
Definition
a measure of the price level calculated as the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP times 100
Term
CPI (consumer price index)
Definition
a measure of the overall cost of goods/services bought by a typical consumer
Term
inflation rate
Definition
the percentage change in price index from the preceding period
Term
producer price index
Definition
a measure of the cost of a basket of goods and services bought by firms
Term
indexation
Definition
the automatic correction by law or contract of a dollar amount for the effects of inflation
Term
nominal interest rate
Definition
the interest rate as usually reported w/o a correction for the effects of inflation
Term
real interest rate
Definition
the interest rate corrected for the effects of inflation
Term
productivity
Definition
the quantity of goods/services produced from each unit of labor input
Term
physical capital
Definition
the stock of equipment and structures that are used to produce goods and services
Term
human capital
Definition
knowledge/skills that workers acquire through education, training, & experience
Term
natural resources
Definition
the inputs into the production of goods/services that are provided by nature, such as land, rivers, and mineral deposits
Term
technological knowledge
Definition
society's understanding of the best way to produce goods/services
Term
diminishing returns
Definition
the property whereby the benefit from an extra unit of an input declines as the quantity of the input increases
Term
catch-up effect
Definition
the property whereby countries that start off poor tend to grow more rapidly than countries that start off rich
Term
financial system
Definition
the group of institutions in the economy that help to match one person's saving with another person's investment
Term
financial markets
Definition
financial institutions through which savers can directly provide funds to borrowers
Term
bond
Definition
a certificate of indebtedness
Term
stock
Definition
a claim to partial ownership in a firm
Term
financial intermediaries
Definition
financial institutions through which savers can indirectly provide funds to borrowers
Term
mutual funds
Definition
an institution that sells shares to the public and uses the proceeds to buy a portfolio of stocks and bonds
Term
national saving (saving)
Definition
the total income in the economy that remains after paying for consumption and government purchases
Term
private setting
Definition
the income that households have left after paying for taxes and consumption
Term
public saving
Definition
the tax revenue that the gvnt has left after paying for taxes and consumption
Term
budget surplus
Definition
an excess of tax revenue over gvnt spending
Term
budget deficit
Definition
a shortfall of tax revenue from gvnt spending
Term
market for loanable funds
Definition
the market in which those who want to save supply funds and those who want to borrow to invest demand funds
Term
crowding out
Definition
a decrease in investment that results from government borrowing
Term
finance
Definition
the field that studies how people make decision regarding the allocation of resources over time and handling of risk
Term
present value
Definition
the amount of $ today that would be needed, using prevailing interest rates, to produce a given future amount of $
Term
future value
Definition
the amount of $ in the future that an amount of $ today will yield, given prevailing interest rates
Term
compounding
Definition
accumulation of a sum of money in, say, a bank account, where the interest earned remains in the account to earn additional interest in the future
Term
risk aversion
Definition
a dislike of uncertainty
Term
diversification
Definition
the reduction of risk achieved by replacement a single risk with a large # of smaller, unrelated risks
Term
firm-specific
Definition
risk that affects only a single company
Term
market risk
Definition
risk that affects all companies in the stock market
Term
fundamental analysis
Definition
the study of a company's accounting statements and future prospects to determine its value
Term
efficient markets hypothesis
Definition
the theory that asset prices reflect all publicly available info about the value of an asset
Term
informational efficiency
Definition
the description of asset prices that rationally reflect all available info
Term
random walk
Definition
the path of a variable whose changes are impossible to predict
Term
labor force
Definition
the total # of workers, including both the employed and the unemployed
Term
unemployment rate
Definition
the % of the labor force that is unemployed
Term
labor-force participation rate
Definition
the % of the adult population that is in the labor force
Term
natural rate of unemployment
Definition
the normal rate of unemployment around which the unemployment rate fluctuates
Term
cyclical unemployment
Definition
the deviation of unemployment from its natural rate
Term
discouraged workers
Definition
individuals who would like to work but have given up looking for a job
Term
frictional unemployment
Definition
unemployment that results because it takes time for workers to search for the jobs that best suit their tastes and skills
Term
structural unemployment
Definition
unemployment that results because the # of jobs available in some labor markets is insufficient to provide a job for everyone who wants one
Term
job search
Definition
the process by which workers find appropriate jobs given their tastes and skills
Term
unemployment insurance
Definition
a gvnt program that partially protects workers' incomes when they become unemployed
Term
union
Definition
a worker association that bargains with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions
Term
collective bargaining
Definition
the process by which unions and firms agree on the terms of employment
Term
strike
Definition
the org withdrawal of labor from a firm by a union
Term
( theory) efficiency wages
Definition
above-equilibrium wages paid by firms to increase worker productivity
Term
medium of exchange
Definition
an item that buyers give to sellers when they want to purchase goods/services
Term
unit of account
Definition
the yardstick people use to post prices & record debts
Term
store of value
Definition
an item that people can use to transfer purchasing power from the present to the future
Term
liquidity
Definition
the ease w/ which an asset can be converted into the economy's medium of exchange
Term
commodity money
Definition
money that takes the form of a commodity w/ intrinsic value
Term
money
Definition
the set of assets in an economy that people regularly use to buy goods/services from other people
Term
fiat money
Definition
money without intrinsic value that is used as $$$ because of government decree
Term
currency
Definition
the paper bills and coins in the hands of the public
Term
demand deposits
Definition
balances in the bank accounts that depositors can access on demand by writing a check
Term
Federal Reserve (Fed)
Definition
the central bank of the US
Term
central bank
Definition
an institution designed to oversee the banking system and regulate
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