Prices and incomes policy is an attempt by the government to set the rate of increase in prices and the rate of wage increases in the economy. The government do not seek to control individual prices but control the general rate of increase in prices and incomes. Price and incomes policy may involve ‘voluntary’ agreements …
Stop-go policies refer to macroeconomic policies which result in economic boom or recession. To manage the economy, the government can change monetary and/or fiscal policy, but the danger is that they might over-react and the economy can go from very fast ‘unsustainable growth’ to very slow/negative growth. Stop-go policies may be linked to the ‘political …
Readers question: Why cannot politics and economics be seen in isolation? Economics is concerned with studying and influencing the economy. Politics is the theory and practice of influencing people through the exercise of power, e.g. governments, elections and political parties. In theory, economics could be non-political. An ideal economist should ignore any political bias or …
Speculation occurs when individuals make decisions about buying or selling depending on expectations of future price changes. For example, if prices are rising speculators may take this as a sign that prices will continue to rise, and therefore, they buy more. This speculation causes prices to continue to rise. An example is house prices, where …
The traditional theory of the firm is based on classical economics and the work of early economists, such as David Ricardo and Leon Walras. The basic assumptions of the traditional theory of the firm are Firms seek to maximise profits. Information symmetry. Owners and workers of the firm have access to good information which enables …
In recent years, many markets have shifted from a model of one-off purchases to subscription models. One-off purchases involve a single transaction and the consumer gets a product permanently Subscription models involve monthly transactions and the consumer gets the product for only as long as they keep paying. For example, we used to buy records …
Economics is a broad subject concerned with the optimal distribution of resources in society. Within the subject, there are several different branches which focus on different aspects. Also, there are different schools of thought which generally have different views on aspects of economics. The first way to split economics is microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics – …
Collusion involves firms coming to an agreement to artificially raise prices and increase profitability at the expense of consumers. Collusion can lead to significant welfare loss and governments have sought to prevent it through a variety of policies, including: Fines for firms found guilty of collusion Fines and jail sentences for company executives who are …