Effect of Government Subsidies

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Readers Question: What happens when the government subsidizes a product?  A subsidy means the government pays part of the cost. For example, the government may give farmers a subsidy of £10 for every kilo of potatoes. The effect is to shift the supply curve to the right, leading to lower price and higher quantity demanded Diagram …

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Factors affecting Supply

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Supply refers to the quantity of a good that the producer plans to sell in the market. Supply will be determined by factors such as price, the number of suppliers, the state of technology, government subsidies, weather conditions and the availability of workers to produce the good. Movement along the supply curve As price increases …

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Pros and cons of raising the minimum wage

In both the UK and US, politicians are proposing significant, above-inflation increases in the minimum wage. The US is proposing an increase from $7.50 to $15 by 2024. The arguments for raising the minimum wages include – reduced in-work poverty, a reduction in inequality, an incentive to increase labour productivity and higher wages leading to …

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Policies for Economic Development

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Economic development implies an improvement in economic welfare through higher real GDP, but also through an improvement in other economic indicators, such as improved literacy, better infrastructure, reduced poverty and improved healthcare standards. Policies for economic development could involve: Improved macroeconomic conditions (create stable economic climate of low inflation and positive economic growth) Free market …

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Policies for Dealing with Economic Shocks

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An economic shock is a negative event affecting the economy it can involve Demand-side shock Supply-side shock Global shock Loss of confidence in the currency and banking system. Policies to deal with economic shocks include Monetary policy – to reduce inflation or boost economic growth Fiscal policy – higher government borrowing to finance higher government …

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Pros and cons of government intervention

A key economic debate is the extent to which should governments intervene in the economy? At one extreme, free-market economists/libertarians, argue that government intervention should be limited to all but the most basic services, such as the protection of private property and the maintenance of law and order. At the other extreme, Marxist economists argue …

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Positive Externalities

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Definition of Positive Externality: This occurs when the consumption or production of a good causes a benefit to a third party. For example: When you consume education you get a private benefit. But there are also benefits to the rest of society. E.g you are able to educate other people and therefore they benefit as …

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Effects of slower economic growth

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Economic growth means an increase in national income/national output. If we have a slower rate of economic growth – living standards will increase at a slower rate. For example, in the post-war period, western economies grew at 2.5% to 4.% per year. However, since the early 2000s, growth rates have slowed down. This process of …

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