Definition: Real wage unemployment occurs when wages are set above the equilibrium level causing the supply of labour to be greater than demand. Classical unemployment of Q1-Q2 caused by a wage NMW above the equilibrium. Classical economists argue the solution is to cut wages to reduce unemployment. For example, a fall in demand for labour …
Readers Question: what is the solution for stagflation? Stagflation occurs when there is an increase in inflation and also at the same time an increase in unemployment and lower economic growth. Typically stagflation will be caused by an increase in the cost of production which shifts the SRAS curve to the left. This could be …
Discrimination in the labour market occurs when employers make decisions on wages and employment based on prejudices, such as race, gender, religion. It can lead to variations in wages for the same job and different employment rates. Kenneth Arrow defined discrimination as: “the valuation in the market-place of personal characteristics of the worker that are …
Placing a tax on a good, shifts the supply curve to the left. It leads to a fall in demand and higher price. However, the impact of a tax depends on the elasticity of demand. If demand is inelastic, a higher tax will cause only a small fall in demand. Most of the tax will …
Readers Question: Discuss whether a widespread shortage of labour might be a major cause of inflation. Often a shortage of labour causes inflationary pressure. If firms are struggling to employ sufficient labour, workers are in a position to demand higher wages. This can easily lead to wage inflation which causes inflation. Micro-theory of labour shortages …
The Neo-classical synthesis (also referred to as the neo-Keynesian theory) refers to the post-war macroeconomic development which combined elements of Keynesian macroeconomics with more classical microeconomic theory. (This is not relevant for A-Level economics, you may be relieved to know) Up until the 1930s, economics had been dominated by classical economists who argued that markets …
Readers Question Q) evaluate the view that ‘trade-offs will be required over the period of the cycle’? In the economic cycle, there is often a trade-offs between different macroeconomic objectives. The main macroeconomic objectives include: Low inflation Higher economic growth Low unemployment Low current account deficit Low government borrowing Stable exchange rate. For example, if the …
Interest rates are the cost of borrowing money. Interest rates are normally expressed as a % of the total borrowed, e.g. for a 30-year mortgage, a bank may charge 5% interest per year. Interest rates also show the return received on saving money in the bank or from an asset like a government bond. Different …