Readers Question: In response to the post on ‘printing money, imports and inflation’, why can’t the British government just print lots of money and import goods from abroad to relieve the pressure on its budget? In theory, they could do that. But, if you print money and spend it on imports, you would see a …
In the post-war period, consumption of vehicle fuel (petrol / diesel) increased dramatically as car ownership rose and more journeys were made by car. However, since 2007, there has been a significant drop in vehicle fuel consumption, with demand falling over 20% Many factors affect demand for vehicle fuel, including price, income, fuel efficiency, quality …
A debt spiral refers to a situation where a country (or firm or individual) sees ever-increasing levels of debt. This increasing levels of debt and debt interest become unsustainable, eventually leading to debt default. Types of Debt Spirals Public sector debt. This is debt that the government owe to the private sector (e.g. UK public …
Graph showing falling import tariff rates in the US. Figures for 2011 includes estimates for tariff rates up to 2011. The key part of this years report is the fact that import tariff barriers have fallen considerably, meaning potential welfare gains of reducing import tariffs have fallen. US has one of lowest tariff rates, but …
The EU has recently entered a double dip recession, with southern Eurozone countries particularly badly affected. As a consequence of the recession, EU unemployment continues to rise. Over the last twelve months, the number of unemployed people has increased by 2 million, to reach more than 25 million. The unemployment rate is up to 10.6% …
Economic Cost of Cars 1. Congestion Time lost which has a monetary value Frustration Increase in pollution Increased cost of petrol 2. Pollution Unleaded petrol has helped reduce lead, but there is still a problem of carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide exacerbating global warming Also an increase in respiratory problems such as asthma 3. …
Catalytic converters help reduce pollution and therefore have positive externalities. This means that if consumers use them there will be benefits to a third party, because there will be less pollution and health problems. In a free market there may be under provision of catalytic converters, for various reasons. Firstly, because there are positive externalities …
Diminishing returns Diseconomies of scale Economies of scale Objectives of firms Efficiency Production Possibility Frontiers Diagram of costs Opportunity cost Profit Profit and revenue Profit maximisation Do firms maximise profit?