A recession (fall in national income) will typically be characterised by high unemployment, falling average incomes, increased inequality and higher government borrowing. The impact of a recession depends on how long it lasts and the depth of the fall in output. The main costs of a recession will be: Unemployment Fall in income – shorter …
Readers Question: Undertake an evaluation of the causes of economic instability and the role, if any, that the government can play in reducing economic instability by constraining their discretion in policy making. Economic instability involves a shock to the usual workings of the economy. Instability tends to reduce confidence and lead to lower investment, lower …
Movements in the stock market can have a profound economic impact on the economy and individual consumers. A collapse in share prices has the potential to cause widespread economic disruption. Most famously, the stock market crash of 1929 was a key factor in precipitating the great depression of the 1930s. Yet, daily movements in the …
Definition of a liquidity trap: When monetary policy becomes ineffective because, despite zero/very low-interest rates, people want to hold cash rather than spend or buy illiquid assets. A liquidity trap is characterised by Very low-interest rates Low inflation Slow/negative economic growth Preference for saving rather than spending and investment Monetary policy becomes ineffective in boosting …
Definition of fiscal policy Fiscal policy involves the government changing the levels of taxation and government spending in order to influence aggregate demand (AD) and the level of economic activity. AD is the total level of planned expenditure in an economy (AD = C+ I + G + X – M) The purpose of Fiscal …
Main topics in macroeconomics Balance of payments Policies to reduce current account deficit Budget deficit Policies to reduce budget deficit Economic growth Causes of Boom and Bust Cycles Policies to increase economic growth Theories of economic growth Recessions Environmental economics Fiscal policy Globalisation Exchange rates Effect of an appreciation Effect of devaluation European Union The …
The Lib Dems have proposed a budget rule that would run a persistent current budget surplus of 1%. This means that current spending (day to day costs of government) should always be less than tax revenue. Borrowing would only be allowed to finance capital investment after an independent watchdog found that the return would be …
This is a list of suggested economics reading which will help give a better understanding of the subject. It includes quite a range of perspectives from the ‘debunking of economics and free markets’ to Milton Friedman’s passionate defence of the free market. Whatever their perspective they all can add to our understanding. 50 Economics Ideas: …