Definition of Rational expectations – an economic theory that states – when making decisions, individual agents will base their decisions on the best information available and learn from past trends. Rational expectations are the best guess for the future. Rational expectations suggest that although people may be wrong some of the time, on average they …
In economics we often see a delay between an economic action and a consequence. This is known as a time lag. An impact of time lags is that the effect of policy may be more difficult to quantify because it takes a period of time to actually occur. Example of time lags Change in interest …
Homo Economicus is a hypothetical concept that humans are: Self-interested Know what they want Make rational choices to maximise their utility. These choices are based on the concept of marginal utility. This concept of a rational economic man is an important cornerstone of neo-classical economic theory. It creates a framework to model how consumers and …
Summary: Productive efficiency is concerned with the optimal method of producing goods; producing goods at the lowest cost. Allocative efficiency is concerned with the optimal distribution of goods and services. Example: An economy could be productively efficient in producing large numbers of boots – but if they were all for the left foot, it would …
A look at the extent to which policy makers face a trade off between unemployment and inflation. The Phillips curve suggests there is a trade off between inflation and unemployment, at least in the short term. Other economists are more sceptical.
Diagrams showing how shifts in aggregate demand (AD) and aggregate supply (AS) affect macroeconomic equilibrium – real GDP and price level (PL) Includes short-run aggregate supply (SRAS) and long-run aggregate supply (LRAS) and classical and Keynesian view of LRAS curves. A simple macroeconomic equilibrium where AD = AS. Increase in AD when economy is close …
Readers Question: When considering national economic policy government must accept that there is a trade-off between inflation and unemployment. Discuss. National Economic Policy will be concerned with these main macro economic objectives Sustained and sustainable economic growth Low Unemployment Low inflation (inflation target often 2%) Low current account deficit (satisfactory balance of payments) Stable Exchange …
Utility is a concept given to how much satisfaction/happiness a person gains from a particular action. Utility derived from the philosophy of utilitarianism. An early advocate of Utilitarianism was Jeremy Bentham who argued that utility was the accumulation of pleasure and avoidance of pain. The concept was refined by others such as J.S. Mill who …