Title | The Five Foundations of Economics Ch1 |
---|---|
Author | Rachel Tammone |
Course | Econ Prin & Probs |
Institution | University of Miami |
Pages | 5 |
File Size | 42.8 KB |
File Type | |
Total Downloads | 48 |
Total Views | 147 |
Outline combining book & class notes ...
The Five Foundations of Economics
09/02/2015
What Is Economics Economists study how decisions are made o Society as a whole must determine what to produce from its limited set of resources
Scarcity o The term used to describe the limited nature of society’s resources
Economics is the study of how people allocate their limited resources to satisfy their nearly unlimited wants
Microeconomics & Macroeconomics o Microeconomics is the study of the individual units that make up the economy o Macroeconomics is the study of the overall aspects & workings of an economy, such as inflation, growth, employment, interest rates, & the productivity of the economy as a whole
What Are the Five Foundations of Economics? Incentive, trade-offs, opportunity cost, marginal thinking, & the principle that trade creates value o These are the key components of economics Incentives o Incentives are factors that motivate you to act or to exert effort Help you make decisions o 2 paired categories: positive & negative, direct & indirect positive & negative positive encourage action end of the year bonuses negative encourage action the fear of a speeding ticket makes drivers drive slowly
positive incentives usually need to be coupled with negative incentives in order to work
direct & indirect incentives direct incentives are easy to recognize
lowering gas prices may get more customers to stop
indirect incentives are harder to recognize usually creates an unintended consequence
How Incentives Create Unintended Consequences o Australia created a “baby bonus” for all babies born after July 1, 2014 Couples would try to delay the birth of their children until after this date, potentially harming the baby & the mother o Incentives & Innovation Incentives play a role in innovation, the engine of economic growth The patent system & copyright laws guarantee inventors a specific period of time in which they can exclusively sell their work Creates a power financial reward for creativity
Illegal downloads reduce the incentive to produce new content o Incentives Are Everywhere Financial gain almost always plays a prominent role Watergate scandal
Trade-Offs o Each & every decision incurs a cost o Trade-offs are an important part of policy decisions the cost of pollution control might cause strain on the economy
Opportunity Cost o The highest-valued alternative that must be sacrificed in order to get something else The key to making the best possible decision is to minimize your opportunity cost by selecting the option that gives you the largest benefit o Economists consider if the alternatives are better than what you are currently doing
Marginal Thinking o Economic thinking
The process of systematically evaluating a course of action
Involves a purposeful evaluation of the available opportunities to make the best decision possible o Marginal analysis is used to break down decisions into smaller parts Usually about doing more or less of something o Marginal thinking requires decision-makers to evaluate whether the benefit of one more unit of something is greater than its cost People weigh the costs & benefits of their actions & chose to do the things with the greatest payoff
Trade o Markets bring buyers & sellers together to exchnage involved trading goods & services for other goods & services , into more sophisticated systems that use cash, credit, & other financial instruments o Trade is the voluntary exchnage of goods & services between two or more parties Voluntary trade among rational individuals creates value for everyone involved o Comparative advantage refers to the situation in which an individual, business, or country can produce at a lower opportunity cost than a competitor can Harnesses the power of specialization Trading of specialized services increases the welfare of everyone in society Specialization happens at the country level too
09/02/2015
09/02/2015 ...