What causes price fluctuations for the supplier in an agricultural market such as coffee/tea? Coffee and tea are agricultural products, and therefore supply can be variable depending on several factors behind the control of producers (weather, disease). Furthermore, because demand and supply are inelastic, any change in supply can cause a significant change in price. …
Derived demand occurs when there is a demand for a good or factor of production resulting from demand for an intermediate good or service. Example – mobile phones and lithium batteries The rise in demand for mobile phones and other mobile devices has led to a strong rise in demand for lithium. Lithium is used in …
A key factor in determining inflation is people’s expectations of future inflation. If firms and consumers expect future inflation then it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If workers expect future inflation, they are more likely to bargain for higher wages to compensate for the increased cost of living. If workers can successfully bargain for higher …
Readers Question: Identify and explain clearly the determinants of a nation’s productive capacity. How does the concept of productive capacity differ from a nation’s actual GDP? A production possibility frontier shows potential output. Here an investment in capital goods enables the PPF curve to shift to the right. Factors that affect productive capacity A nation’s …
The 1920s are sometimes referred to as the ‘roaring twenties’, but for the UK economy, it was a period of depression, deflation and a steady decline in the UK’s former economic pre-eminence. In the US, the economy boomed on the back of mass production techniques, growing efficiency – and increasingly a credit bubble, which would …
Readers Question: Is rise in prices a reflection of economic growth? A sustained rise in prices is known as inflation. A large rise in prices / higher inflation rate is often caused by economic growth. However, there are also occasions, when we can get inflation despite weak or negative economic growth. Inflation caused by economic …
Say’s law states that the production of goods creates its own demand. In 1803, John Baptiste Say explained his theory. “It is worthwhile to remark that a product is no sooner created than it, from that instant, affords a market for other products to the full extent of its own value.” (J. B. Say, 1803: …
Readers Question: What is the cause of deflation? Deflation involves a fall in the price level – a negative rate of inflation. From a very basic standpoint, there are two main potential causes of deflation: A fall in aggregate demand (AD) A shift to the right of aggregate supply (AS) – i.e. lower costs of …