Readers Question: Surely when we have near full employment as we have now the Government should be producing a surplus (as in the late 1990s) and reducing the national debt. Not to do so means that we have a structural problem in the UK? Not necessarily. A structural deficit problem implies that even allowing for …
Economic development implies an improvement in economic welfare through higher real GDP, but also through an improvement in other economic indicators, such as improved literacy, better infrastructure, reduced poverty and improved healthcare standards. Policies for economic development could involve: Improved macroeconomic conditions (create stable economic climate of low inflation and positive economic growth) Free market …
The Lib Dems have proposed a budget rule that would run a persistent current budget surplus of 1%. This means that current spending (day to day costs of government) should always be less than tax revenue. Borrowing would only be allowed to finance capital investment after an independent watchdog found that the return would be …
From 2010 to 2019, total gross government debt (1) increased by £643 bn from £1.2 trillion to £1.8 trillion. UK Public sector debt 2010 – £1,194.3bn 2019 – £1,838.2bn A more helpful statistic is to consider debt as a percentage of GDP In 2010 Q2, public sector debt was 64.7% of GDP In 2019 Q3 …
Readers Question: What is the role and function of price in the economy? The price of goods plays a crucial role in determining an efficient distribution of resources in a market system. Price acts as a signal for shortages and surpluses which help firms and consumers respond to changing market conditions. If a good is …
In 2008, Zimbabwe had the second highest incidence of hyperinflation on record. The estimated inflation rate for Nov 2008 was 79,600,000,000% That is effectively a daily inflation rate of 98.0. Roughly every day, prices would double. It was also a time of real hardship and poverty, with an unemployment rate of close to 80% and a …
An economic shock is a negative event affecting the economy it can involve Demand-side shock Supply-side shock Global shock Loss of confidence in the currency and banking system. Policies to deal with economic shocks include Monetary policy – to reduce inflation or boost economic growth Fiscal policy – higher government borrowing to finance higher government …
Third Degree Price Discrimination involves charging a different price to different groups of consumers for the same good. These groups of consumers can be identified by particular characteristics such as age, sex, location, time of use. In the real world, third-degree price discrimination is quite common. For a firm to practise price discrimination it requires: …