Summary – If a country has a higher inflation rate than its competitors, then its good will be increasing in price at a faster rate and therefore, they will become relatively less competitive. It will experience less demand for its exports and therefore less demand for its currency. This will tend to cause a depreciation …
Consumer expectations refer to the economic outlook of households. Expectations will have a significant bearing on current economic activity. If people expect an improvement in the economic outlook, they will be more willing to borrow and buy goods. But, with negative expectations, they will cut back on spending and be more risk-averse. Expectations may also influence …
In recent months, we have seen a dramatic drop in oil prices. For many consumers and business, this fall in the price of oil will be welcome reduction in the cost of living and a reduction in the cost of business. However, is such a steep fall in oil prices good for the economy? Benefits of …
Measuring living standards is important for economic policy. However, in practice, there are several difficulties in measuring living standards and therefore there are several different measures we could use. The most common measure of living standards is to start with real GDP per Capita. World Map of GDP per Capita GDP per Capita. Source: Source: …
Monopsony occurs when there is one buyer and many sellers. In the labour market, a monopsony occurs with one employer and many workers wanting to gain employment. Arguably, monopsony power enables firms to ‘exploit’ workers by setting lower wages and employing fewer workers than in a competitive market. To visualise monopsony power, we could think …
The mobility of labour refers to how easily workers can move to different jobs within the economy. The two main factors of labour mobility are: Geographical mobility – how easy is it for a worker to move between different regions and countries to seek new work. Occupational mobility – how easy is it for a …
Readers Question: ‘Trading blocs are the most significant factor contributing to globalisation’ To what extent do you agree with this view? Trading blocs are groups of nations who form an economic union or area of free trade. For example: The European Union aims at not just a customs union but also economic and monetary union …
Definition A positive feedback loop is a situation where two events are mutually reinforcing. With this situation, a small change in one input can cause a bigger final increase in both the initial input and the secondary effect. Suppose, there is a rise in demand for buying a commodity. This rise in demand leads to …