Readers Question: What is the difference between monetary and fiscal policy? Monetary policy involves changing the interest rate and influencing the money supply. Fiscal policy involves the government changing tax rates and levels of government spending to influence aggregate demand in the economy. They are both used to pursue policies of higher economic growth or …
The world economy is already entering a very deep recession, with GDP falling by an estimated 20-25%. Unemployment will rise very fast as large parts of the economy close down. An optimistic assessment is that the economic shock will be short-term, policymakers are responding with as much monetary and fiscal help as they can, and …
The next 12 months are going to see unprecedented demands on the government budget. It is likely GDP will fall 10-20% – if not more. On its own, this would lead to a surge in government borrowing Fall in income tax receipts as people earn less Fall in VAT and excise duties as people spend …
A look at various economic policies to deal with an economic crisis, such as a fall in GDP. Economic crisis could involve Lack of economic growth/recession High Unemployment Long-term structural deficits Lack of confidence in finance and consumer sector. Rapid devaluation Solutions to economic crisis Fiscal policy – When the government influences demand through changing …
Since the credit crisis of 2008, the UK economy has experienced structural weakness of Low economic growth Very poor productivity growth Weak demand Unbalanced economy geared towards consumption and low levels of investment. In addition to these structural weaknesses, the UK economy in 2020 now faces real threats from A hard Brexit Risk of slowdown …
Readers Question: What caused the massive decrease in the debt to GDP ratio for the UK following World War II? It is a good question to ask. In the past few years, many European policymakers have felt that rising debt levels needed panic levels of austerity/spending cuts. But, that didn’t happen in the UK in …
Readers Question: evaluate the economics for and against the uk government further increasing the tax on alcohol in order to reduce its consumption? Alcohol is considered a demerit good. Overconsumption can cause health problems, which involve external costs to the rest of society. Therefore, there is a strong reason to increase tax on alcohol, reduce …
The interest rate cycle is closely related to the economic or trade cycle. In theory, movements in interest rates should mirror the economic cycle. If the economy is growing strongly and inflationary pressures increasing – Central Banks will increase interest rates to slow down the economy and prevent inflation. If the economy enters into recession …