...Economic policy is the government attempting to stabilize the economy for the good of all people. Ways in which the government attempts to reach their goals is by being in charge of setting the right levels of taxation, government budgets, money supply and interest rates in the economy. All of these actions that the government takes influence the economy in some way. “Some types of economic policy actions can include setting interest rates through a federal reserve, regulating the level of government expenditures, creating private property rights and setting tax rates” (economic policy). Economic policy has many goals. Economic growth is one goal. If incomes of consumers and businesses are increasing over time then economic policy is working well for the economy and its people. Full employment is another goal. This goal for economic policy is to ensure that every member of the labor force who wants to work will find work. The last goal to mention is price stability. The goal of price stability is to stop both deflation and inflation from occurring. If inflation is set too high then prices of goods in the economy will be too high and not sold as much because consumers will not be able to afford them. “In an effort to eliminate uncertainty, the Fed has set a target rate of a steady 2% inflation rate” (McMahon). The Federal Government has an involved role in maintaining America's economy; they need to find the right balance working with numbers and economic expertise. When...
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...there is a persistent rise in prices and slow economic growth. Slow economic growth implies that there is a rise in unemployment as the economy is not working at its full potential. As part of their objectives, governments aim to lower unemployment and try to keep prices stable but when there is stagflation, conflicts tend to occur as policies intending to lower inflation can cause output to fall further. This essay will evaluate the causes of such an occurrence happening and what governments can do to resolve such problems, referring to current economic events. Governments are generally happy when there is a low level of inflation. A ‘creeping inflation’ can be connected with high profits and general business optimism. (Powell 2009:272) argues that this “maybe a necessary side-effect of expansionary policies to reduce unemployment.” Although when inflation rates are unanticipated and go out of control, the costs of inflation become more apparent. Rapid changes in prices lead to money-functions being non-existent and bartering starts to replace transactions. Normal economic behaviour is distorted too as household bring forward purchases if they expect inflation to increase further. As mentioned earlier unemployment is considered to be bad for an economy. This is shown in Graph 1 at point D where the economy is working within its Production Possibility Frontier (PPF). There is a waste of scarce resources which affects the growth potential of an economy. This is why governments...
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...ECONOMICS EXAMINATION GUIDELINES GRADE 12 2014 These guidelines consist of 25 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over Economics 2 Examination Guidelines DBE/2014 INDEX PAGE 3 1. INTRODUCTION 2. ASSESSMENT IN GRADE 12 2.1 Format of the question papers 2.2 Detail of question papers 4 4 4 3. CONTENT 6 4. CONCLUSION Copyright reserved 25 Please turn over Economics 1. 3 Examination Guidelines DBE/2014 INTRODUCTION The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Economics outlines the nature and purpose of the subject Economics. This guides the philosophy underlying the teaching and assessment of the subject in Grade 12. The purpose of these Examination Guidelines is to: • • Provide clarity on the depth and scope of the content to be assessed in the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examination in Economics. Assist teachers to adequately prepare learners for the examinations. This document deals with the final Grade 12 external examinations. It does not deal in any depth with the School-Based Assessment (SBA). This guideline should be read in conjunction with: • • • The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS): Economics The National Protocol of Assessment: An addendum to the policy document, the National Senior Certificate: A qualification at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), regarding the National Protocol for Assessment (Grades R–12) The national policy pertaining...
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...IM Aggregate Demand Aggregate demand (AD) is the total demand for all goods and services produced in an economy in a given price level and time period. AD = C + G + I + (X – M) C means consumer expenditure. This makes up the majority of AD in most countries (about 65% of the total). I means investment in capital goods from firms, and this is the most volatile component of AD. This typically accounts for 15-20% of GDP, and the majority (75%) is from private sector businesses. G means government spending on state-provided goods and services. Transfer payments (state benefits) do not count because these payments are not producing an output – they are a transfer of money from one group to another. X means exports; M means imports. Exports are goods sold to overseas countries and imports are what the UK buys from foreign countries. (X – M) represents net exports. If this is positive, there is a trade surplus which adds to AD. Conversely, a negative net exports value means there is a trade deficit, which reduces AD. Consumer Expenditure Consumer expenditure is influenced by… The amount of real disposable income is the main influence on consumer expenditure. Households and economies with more disposable income tend to spend more in total than poorer ones. The proportion of income that is spent is called the average propensity to consume (APC). Wealth (the value of a stock of assets) affects C. Wealthier people tend to spend more. Wealth can be spent and can be used...
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...Schools of Economic Thought By: Lenore E. Hawkins To be able to invest successfully, one must understand the major schools of economic thought and how they impact national and global economies. I like to break economic theory down into seven schools of thought: fascism, neoclassical economics, socialism, Keynesianism, monetarism, Austrianism, and supply-side economics. Economic theory is really just a set of beliefs concerning individual and group behavior. There is no consensus about which model is correct, but the one most used by governments is Keynesianism. Schools primarily teach neoclassical with a Keynesian slant, which is sometimes referred to as the neoclassical synthesis. The following is a very high level overview of these different schools of thought. Keep in mind as you read these that since the study of economics is a soft science these theories don t have perfectly clear definitions with uniform consensus and tend to evolve over time. They are a bit like religion, where for example Lutheran, Episcopalian, Protestant, and Catholic all are variations of Christianity. Since we aren t talking about something objective like E=MC2, these definition are of course subject to my interpretation. The oldest model is fascism which contends that all truth is just a matter of opinion thus we cannot really know anything useful. With this base premise, governments are free to do whatever they deem necessary. There are no limits. The most...
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...General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary Examination June 2013 Economics Unit 2 ECON2 The National Economy Friday 17 May 2013 1.30 pm to 2.45 pm For this paper you must have: an objective test answer sheet a black ball-point pen an AQA 8-page answer book. You may use a calculator. Time allowed 1 hour 15 minutes Section A (ECON2/1) Answer all questions on your objective test answer sheet. Use a black ball-point pen. Do not use pencil. Do all rough work in this question paper, not on your objective test answer sheet. Section B (ECON2/2) Answer EITHER Context 1 OR Context 2. Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Pencil should only be used for drawing. Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Examining Body for this paper is AQA. The Paper Reference is ECON2/2. Information The maximum mark for this paper is 75. There are 25 marks for Section A. Each question carries one mark. No deductions will be made for wrong answers. There are 50 marks for Section B. The marks for questions are shown in brackets. You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice You are advised to spend no more than 25 minutes on Section A and at least 50 minutes on Section B. G/T90774/Jun13/ECON2 6/6/6/ ECON2 2 Section A: Objective Test Answer all questions in Section A. Each question carries 1 mark. No deductions will be made for wrong...
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...Economics theories (Neo) Classical Theories 1. Introduction The term 'Classical' refers to work done by a group of economists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Much of this work was developing theories about the way markets and market economies work. Much of this work has subsequently been updated by modern economists and they are generally termed neo-classical economists, the word neo meaning 'new'. 2. Belief Classical economists were not renowned for being a happy, optimistic bunch of economists (in terms of their economic thinking!). Some believed that population growth would be too rapid for the resources available (Malthus was a particular exponent of this view). If this wasn't enough to depress the rate of long-term growth (and the rest of the population along with it!) then diminishing returns would cause further problems for growth. They believed that the government should not intervene to try to correct this as it would only make things worse and so the only way to encourage growth was to allow free trade and free markets. This approach is known as a 'laissez-faire' approach. Essentially this approach places total reliance on markets, and anything that prevent markets clearing properly should be done away with. Much of Adam Smith's early work was on this theme, and he introduced the notion of an invisible hand that guided economic activity and led to the optimum equilibrium. Many people see him as the founding father of modern economics. The Victorian period...
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...good or service. Currently in England, the | | |Value-Added Tax is 20% of the price of goods and services. It is an indirect tax collected by a third party, | | |usually the seller, who in turn add the tax to the cost of the goods. | |Aggregate Demand (AD) |AD is the total demand for goods and services in the economy: AD= C+I+G+(X-M). | | |C= Total consumption /Expenditure in the economy | | |I= Total investment | | |G= Total government expenditure | | |X-M= The net trade is Exports minus Imports | |Aggregate Supply (AS) |AS is the total supply of goods and services within the economy...
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...EC 301 Intermediate economics | The American Economy | Keynesian and Monetary Theories, Budget Deficits, Trade Deficits, and Supply-side Economics | | Nathan Johnson | 5/5/2013 | | The past twenty years has seen a great shift in economics of this country. In the early 1990’s the U.S. economy was struggling and was a major topic of the previous presidential election. Fast forward twenty years and an economic boom and bust later, the presidential election again was based on a struggling economy. By taking a closer look at the policies and practices that took place in that span we might be able to find a better understanding of how our government can influence our economy. In the field of economics there are several varying sets of ideals of how policies should be implemented. Two of those groups are the Keynesian theorists and the monetary theorists. These two groups offer different perspectives of what is “right” in the world of economics. Each option provides its positives and negatives, but it is up to each economist to determine which negatives are worth giving up. The Keynesian theorists believe in correcting economic downturns with fiscal policy actions. Actions that would please Keynesian theorists would include changes in government spending, changes in the amount of taxes, and changes made to investments in long term productive growth. During the most recent fiscal crisis, these theorists were happy with the stimulus package that was created by the...
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...A-LEVEL ECONOMICS ECON4/Unit 4: Mark scheme 2140 June 2014 Version 1.0 Final The National and International Economy Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Assessment Writer. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this Mark Scheme are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright © 2014 AQA and its licensors. All...
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...benefit the patient while holding providers accountable for usage of procedures and tests, and providing increasingly higher quality of care to their patients. Due to the high volume and high expenditures specifically in hospitals, there is a new type of approach being taken when it comes to patient care in acute care settings. The prospective payment system (PPS) was established in the 1980’s in conjunction with Medicare’s Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG) system. This was established due to the rising costs of to the social security administration (Mayes, 2006). During this time hospitals were placed under pressure to accept the new payment system and structure due to an exponential rise in Medicare expenditures. To give perspective on the growth of expenditures to Medicare enrollees, in 1972 Medicare had approximately 21 million enrollees and expenditures approximated $7 billion dollars. In 1982, Medicare enrollees amounted to 30 million and expenditures skyrocketed to $50 billion dollars per year (Mayes, 2006). The DRG system was specifically designed and implemented to establish a flat rate price for specific diagnoses and regulate the increasing costs. This current system was working well despite its increasing costs of care. The downfall of this system is it is a payment system that is indiscriminant in its payment method. An...
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...SARABJEET KAUR ID- s0264574 COURSE- ECONOMICS FOR TODAY RESEARCH ESSAY - ON REALATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFALATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT, MONETARY POLICY INFLUENCE OVER ECONOMIC GROWTH. The connection among unemployment inflation grabs the attention of many economist. According to okuris law, there is a visible clear connection among country’s outcome that is declined in unemployment lead to higher nation output. However, other popular economist William Philips said that there is inverse relation between unemployment inflation because Philips argued that when high reaction of workers causes increase in nations output which abo lead to high wage, customers to carry enough money to utilize, so which customers demanding more good services price would include, so that is situation of inflation increase lead to downfall in unemployment inflation full down result to increase the ratio of unemployment. For better understanding it is important to know what is reason behind the increase relationship between both that is when there is increase in aggregate demand (AD to AD2) lead to increase in real GDP (Y1 toY2) hence companies need more labor and unemployment falls. Monetarists were criticize the Philips increase relationship, because they believes that there is no trade of in long run (As is inelastic) they said that when demand aggregate is increase than employees want higher nominal salary. Furthermore when employees get it, and work more as they think it is actual wages is increased. Thus...
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...Question 1 Introduction In economics there are two main schools of thought; these schools differ in their belief of what policies are best suited to attain full employment in the economy. Keynesians tend to favour demand side policies and are more prone to intervene in the market and therefore prefer to use fiscal policy whilst monetarists believe adjustments in money supply is more appropriate in stabilising the market ,therefore preferring monetary policy. In this question I will discuss the views of Keynesians and monetarists regarding the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policies in controlling aggregate demand through the IS-LM framework. I will first provide a brief description of the curves explaining their formation and what they represent and then I will go on to examine monetary and fiscal policy within the IS-LM framework. Finally, I will examine the views of monetarist and Keynesians regarding the effectiveness of both policies in raising the level of national l income and also consider the extreme cases. The IS-LM model was initially developed by John Hicks in 1937 but was made popular in 1949 by Hansen in order ‘to provide a framework for analysing the factors determining the level of aggregate demand’. The IS-LM model is a short run model of the determination of output. It shows the unique combination of income and interest rates that lead to an equilibrium in both the goods and money market at the same time (Begg, 2008). The IS-LM model is presented...
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...Business 1301 Chapter 2 -How does economics relate to business? Can an understanding of economics help businesspeople succeed? If so how? Economics relates to business through microeconomics and macroeconomics. By studying these two principles, a business can take a look at the economy and set prices, choose to expand, or even release a new product. Understanding economics can help a business by allowing them to make future decisions from other’s past choices. - What are the fundamental elements of the free market economic system? How can businesses thrive within this system? The fundamental elements of the free market economic system include the majority of business that are privately owned and are free to choose what they will produce, how much to charge, and who to employ. The fundamental rights of a free market include; the right to own and profit from a business, the right to private property, the right to choice, and the right to fair competition. Businesses thrive because they are allowed to choose the best product for their business, the best people to work for them, the best place to open their business, and have the want to do good because of their potential monetary gains. - How do supply and demand impact the free market system? Supply and demand are what cause change in prices of goods across the board. If a new item was put on the market and everyone wanted one, the price of that item would skyrocket. Once the market gets flooded with copy cat products...
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...Unit 3 Managing the economy Steve Margetts CONTENTS Aggregate Demand (AD) Aggregate Supply Equilibrium Between Aggregate Demand And Aggregate Supply Consumption And Savings Investment Government Spending Exports and Imports Objectives Of Government Macroeconomic Policy Inflation Unemployment Economic Growth Balance of Payments Conflicts Between Macro Economic Objectives Demand Management or Supply Side? 2 4 9 11 17 25 29 31 34 50 71 80 84 87 Page 1 Unit 3 Managing the economy Steve Margetts AGGREGATE DEMAND (AD) Aggregate demand (AD) is the total demand for goods and services produced in the economy over a period of time. DEFINING AGGREGATE DEMAND Aggregate planned expenditure for goods and services in the economy = C + I + G + (X-M) C Consumers' expenditure on goods and services: This includes demand for durables & non-durable goods. I Gross Domestic Fixed Capital Formation - i.e. investment spending by companies on capital goods. Investment also includes spending on working capital such as stocks of finished goods and work in progress. G General Government Final Consumption. i.e. Government spending on publicly provided goods and services including public and merit goods. Transfer payments in the form of social security benefits (pensions, jobseekers allowance etc.) are not included as they are not a payment to a factor of production for output produced. A substantial increase in government spending would be classified as an expansionary fiscal policy...
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