A typical supply curve shows an increase in supply as wages rise. It slopes from left to right. However, in labour markets, we can often witness a backward bending supply curve. This means after a certain point, higher wages can lead to a decline in labour supply. This occurs when higher wages encourage workers to …
Definition of automation Automation refers to the process of automatically producing goods through the use of robots, control systems and other appliances with a minimal direct human operation. Within manufacturing industries, automation has led to increased labour productivity as fewer workers are needed to produce the same number of manufactured goods. A perceived downside of …
Traditionally, the key measures of economic performance in macroeconomics include: Economic growth – real GDP growth. Inflation – e.g. target CPI inflation of 2% Unemployment – target of full employment Current account – satisfactory current account, e.g. low deficit. Other measures of economic performance can include: Government borrowing/national debt Real disposable incomes Income inequality (Gini …
Barriers to entry are factors that make it difficult for new firms to enter the market. Barriers to entry will make a market less competitive. If barriers to entry are very high then the market will invariably become a monopoly. Examples of barriers to entry Tap water – Economies of Scale. This means as firms …
Microeconomics is concerned with the economic decisions and actions of individuals and firms. Within the broad church of microeconomics, there are different theories that emphasise certain assumptions and expectations of economic behaviour. The most important theory is neo-classical theory, which places emphasis on free-markets and the assumption individuals are rational and seek to maximise utility. …
Moral Hazard is the concept that individuals have incentives to alter their behaviour when their risk or bad-decision making is borne by others. Examples of moral hazard include: Comprehensive insurance policies decrease the incentive to take care of your possessions Governments promising to bail out loss-making banks can encourage banks to take greater risks. Conditions …
The short run, long run and very long run are different time periods in economics. Quick definition Very short run – where all factors of production are fixed. (e.g on one particular day, a firm cannot employ more workers or buy more products to sell) Short run – where one factor of production (e.g. capital) …
The fiscal multiplier effect occurs when an initial injection into the economy causes a bigger final increase in national income. For example, if the government increased spending by £1 billion but this caused real GDP to increase by a total of £1.7 billion, then the multiplier would have a value of 1.7. Example of how …