Readers Question: Why does the government borrow? Essentially, the government borrows so that it can enable higher spending without having to increase taxes. The annual amount the government borrows is known as the budget deficit. The total amount the government has borrowed is known as the national debt or public sector debt. There are many …
The Money Multiplier refers to how an initial deposit can lead to a bigger final increase in the total money supply. For example, if the commercial banks gain deposits of £1 million and this leads to a final money supply of £10 million. The money multiplier is 10. The money multiplier is a key element …
The long-run trend rate of growth is the average sustainable rate of economic growth over a period of time. It could also be termed as the ‘underlying trend rate of economic growth’ The long-run trend rate is determined by growth in productive capacity (AS). It is the rate of growth which is consistent with low …
Regulatory capture is a form of government failure where those bodies regulating industries become sympathetic to the businesses they are supposed to be regulating. Regulatory capture can mean monopolies can continue to charge high prices The opposite of regulatory capture is ‘public interest theory’ – the idea that government regulation can influence monopolies to behave …
The invisible hand is a concept that – even without any observable intervention – free markets will determine an equilibrium in the supply and demand for goods. The invisible hand means that by following their self-interest – consumers and firms can create an efficient allocation of resources for the whole of society. How does the …
The economic trade cycle shows how economic growth can fluctuate within different phases, for example: Boom (A period of high economic growth usually causing inflation) Peak (top of the trade cycle, where growth rates may start to fall) Economic downturn/recession (where the growth rate falls and may become negative – leading to a fall in national output) …
Profit is the surplus revenue after a firm has paid all its costs. Profit can be seen as the monetary reward to shareholders and owners of a business. In a capitalist economy, profit plays an important role in creating incentives for business and entrepreneurs. For an incumbent firm, the reward of higher profit will encourage …
In the UK and US there is often a mistrust of the government’s inflation figures. People often feel that their cost of living is rising faster than official CPI statistics. In developing countries like Venezuela and Argentina, there is even greater mistrust as government’s have an incentive to modify inflation rates and have the power …