ECON-1007EL Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Income Distribution, Barter, Normal Good

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oliveferret196

26 Jun 2018

School

Laurentian

Department

Economics / Science Èconomique

Course

ECON-1007EL

Professor

Daviau Charles

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Chapter 1-3 Key Terms

Individual Choice The decision by an individual of what to do,

which necessarily involves a decision of what

not to do. *4 basic principles

Resource Anything that can be used to produce

something else

Resources are scarce The quantity available isn’t large enough to

satisfy all productive uses

Opportunity Cost The real cost of something, what you must

give up in order to get it

Trade-off When comparing the cost with the benefits

of doing something

Marginal Decisions Decisions about whether to do a bit more or

less of an activity

Making trade-offs at the margin Comparing the costs and benefits of doing a

little bit more of an activity versus doing a bit

less

Marginal Analysis Study of decisions above (hiring one more

worker, studying one more hour, etc)

Incentive Anything that offers rewards to people who

change their behavior

Interaction of choices My choices affect yours, vice versa

Trade The practice in which an individual provides

goods and services to others and receive

goods and services in return

Gains from trade People can get more of what they want

through trade than they could if they tried to

be self-sufficient

Specialization Each person specializes in the task that he is

good at performing

Equilibrium An economic situation in which no individual

would be better off doing something

different

Efficient Description of a market or economy that

takes all opportunities to make some people

better off without making people worse off

Equity Fairness, everyone getting his fair share

Model Simplified representation of a real situation

that is used to better understand real life

situations

Other things equal assumption Means that all other relevant factors remain

unchanged

Production possibility frontier (PPF) Illustrates the trade-offs facing an economy

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Document Summary

The decision by an individual of what to do, which necessarily involves a decision of what not to do. Anything that can be used to produce something else. The quantity available isn"t large enough to satisfy all productive uses. The real cost of something, what you must give up in order to get it. When comparing the cost with the benefits of doing something. Decisions about whether to do a bit more or less of an activity. Comparing the costs and benefits of doing a little bit more of an activity versus doing a bit less. Study of decisions above (hiring one more worker, studying one more hour, etc) Anything that offers rewards to people who change their behavior. The practice in which an individual provides goods and services to others and receive goods and services in return. People can get more of what they want through trade than they could if they tried to be self-sufficient.

Related Questions

Economics is nothing more than the study of scarcity and choice. It's called the Economizing Problem.

Economics is also the study of human action---why people make the choices they do.

We have finite (limited) resources and infinite (unlimited) demand for goods and services. We must, therefore, use rational decisions as to how to allocate these resources so that we can produce the goods and services that satisfy as many needs and wants as possible.

Needs are those things that make life possible---food, clothing, shelter, etc. Wants are the things that make life easier---glass in windows, carpet on the floor, a refrigerator to keep your beer cold, etc.

The resources we are trying to use wisely are not confined to money. We are talking about talent, ability, drive, ambition, etc. We can't all be brain surgeons. Nor would most of us want to be. We have different needs and wants that drive our ambitions. I have 5 grandchildren. The oldest two are twins---a boy and a girl. My granddaughter graduated from Idaho University with a bachelor's and a master's degree in accounting in 5 years. She passed the CPA exam on the first try. She now lives in Panama and works for BMW. She speaks, reads, and writes 4 languages, including English. Her brother finally graduated from the University of Arkansas in May 2016 after 8 years! Why did it happen this way?? They were raised the same way by the same parents. Why was my granddaughter drove to succeed and my grandson so listless?

Then there is subjective valuation and opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is nothing more than what you have to give up to do something else. Some of you might have to roll out of the bar or the party a little before you wanted to leave just to be able to attend my class. You might also have to give up some precious sleep. In any event, you had to give up something to attend my class. That's the opportunity cost. Remember, everything you do has a price (opportunity cost) that must be paid according to Harry Browne who wrote, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World.) To do one thing you must give up the opportunity to do something else.

When people decide to buy a product or service they must decide if it will satisfy a need or want at a price they are willing to pay. The number one reason that people buy the products or services they do is called Personal Tastes or Preferences (Subjective valuation). Everyone has a different price they are willing to pay for the same product or service. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That's a subjective valuation. Each of us has a different intensity of demand for the same products. Things you want I may not care for at all, and the opposite may also be true. This is why there is such a variety of goods and services offered on the market.

Subjective valuation is also fluid. As your income goes either up or down it changes your valuation of products and services. Have you ever wanted something so bad you would do almost anything to get it---an i phone or I pad?---but once you get the money you think, "do I really want this?' and you don't buy it. This is common. If it were not for a subjective valuation we would all be wearing the same style and color clothes and living in similar houses, etc. Wouldn't that be a wonderful world! I'd find the tallest building in downtown Orlando and see if I could fly! It is not the similarity in people that interests me. It's the differences. It's my desire not to be like everyone else that has driven my life. Don't strive to be someone else. Strive to find and be yourself. God save me from a terminal case of conventional wisdom!

There are 5 embedded questions.

Give me an example of subjective valuation.

salmoneel837

4. Decisions made âat the marginâ entail a choice based upon_____________ of a decision.

a. the additional benefits
b. the total costs
c. comparing the total benefits and costs
d. comparing the additional benefits and costs
5. 100 units of Good X are available but individuals desire 500units. ______________ will determine who attains Good X, and whodoes not.

a. A rationing device
b. Opportunity Cost
c. Utility
d. Natural Selection

6. Individuals will continue consuming so long as:

a. The price of a good continues to decrease
b. The marginal costs of consuming are outweighed by the marginalbenefits
c. The individual seeks additional utility
d. The individual is willing and able

8. If the cross-price elasticity of two goods is positive, thenthose two goods are
a. substitutes.
b. complements.
c. normal goods.
d. inferior goods.

11. The basic reason most supply curves are upward sloping isthat:

a. More firms are in the market, therefore more goods areproduced.
b. Because more quantity is being demanded, suppliers raise theprice.
c. Producers face higher opportunity costs when producing higherlevels of quantity, so they must receive a higher price.
d. Producers seek to maximize total revenue.

18. When the price of bubble gum is $0.60, the quantity demanded is500 packs per day. When the price falls to $0.50, the quantitydemanded increases to 900. The demand for gum would beconsidered:

a. inelastic.
b. elastic.
c. unit elastic.
d. perfectly inelastic.

20. Inefficient Production implies which of the following:

a. it is impossible to produce more of one good without producingless of another
b. there are too few resources
c. there are too many resources
d. it is possible to produce more of one good without producingless of another

21. Workers at a bicycle assembly plant currently make minimumwage. If the federal government increases the minimum wage by $1.00an hour it is likely that the

a. demand for bicycle assembly workers will increase.
b. supply of bicycles will shift to the right.
c. supply of bicycles will shift to the left.
d. firm must increase output to maintain profit levels.

24. Suppose at a price of $5 and at a price of $9, John purchases40 units of good X. Given this information, we know that Johnâsdemand for good X is
a. perfectly elastic at all prices.
b. inelastic at all prices.
c. unit elastic between the prices of $5 and $9.
d. perfectly elastic between the prices of $5 and $9.
e. perfectly inelastic between the prices of $5 and $9.

25. If the price of good A decreases by 10 percent and the quantitydemanded of good B decreases by 10 percent, this is evidence that Aand B are
a. substitute goods.
b. complement goods.
c. inferior goods.
d. normal goods.
e. not related.

6. For an individual to achieve consumer equilibrium when consumingtwo goods, A and B, the individual must satisfy the followingcondition:

a. TUA = TUB
b. TUA/PA = TUB/PB
c. MUA = MUB
d. MUA/PA = MUB/PB
e. MUA/PB = MUB/PA

7. Which of the following statements is correct regarding a firm'sdecision making?
a. The decision to shut down and the decision to exit are bothshort-run decisions.
b. The decision to shut down and the decision to exit are bothlong-run decisions.
c. The decision to shut down is a short-run decision, whereas thedecision to exit is a long-run decision.
d. The decision to exit is a short-run decision, whereas thedecision to shut down is a long-run decision.

Table 1

Output Total Cost
0 $20
1 $30
2 $41
3 $51
4 $65
5 $75
6 $84
7 $105

13. Refer to Table 1. The marginal cost of producing the fifth unitof output is
a. $55.00
b. $15.00
c. $9.00
d. $10.00

21. A perfectly competitive firm can produce its current level ofoutput at an average total cost of $10 and a marginal cost of $8.If the market price of the product is currently $8, what should thefirm do?

a. The firm should definitely shut down since average total costexceeds price.
b. The firm should shut down if average variable cost is $8 orgreater, but the firm should continue to produce the current levelof output if average variable cost is less than $8.
c. The firm should increase production in order to increaseprofit.
d. The firm should continue to produce, but it should decreaseproduction in order to increase profit.
24. In the long run all costs are variable. Thus, aprofit-maximizing firm may exit:

a. When Price < Average Total Cost
b. When Price > Average Total Cost
c. When Average Revenue > Average Fixed Cost
d. When Average Revenue > Marginal Cost

25. Marginal cost tells us the
a. value of all resources used in a production process.
b. marginal increment to profitability when price isconstant.
c. amount by which total cost rises when output is increased by oneunit.
d. amount by which output rises when labor is increased by oneunit.

26. For a perfectly competitive firm:
a. marginal revenue is equal to price.
b. price is equal to marginal cost at the output level thatmaximizes profit.
c. selling an additional unit of the good it produces increasestotal revenue by the price of the good.
d. a and b
e. a, b, and c

Need help revising, and recommendation for a conclusion.

Throughout this paper is my understanding of what I have learned in class chapters 1-4, expressing my understanding and opinions. Economics is the study of how we deal with scarce resources. Microeconomics specially deals with business in the home country exclusively. This type of economics affects small businesses in the home country only. On the other hand, macroeconomics concerns our national welfare concerning trade and international business.

I believe that many things affect our economy on a microeconomics level. Things such as our understanding of our country in reflection to the world are very important. That is why we study ourselves before we study the macroeconomic principle of the world. Understanding ourselves is what microeconomics teaches us. Working from the inside out. The world is a place where there are differences in our wants and what we get. That is what makes items scarce. That is what positive economics is. Positive economics deals with what is and what we have. The other type of economics is called normative statements. This deals with what we should receive instead of what is and deserved to some extent. It's our scarce resources that determine our allocation of resources and how we use our resources and time. This is where opportunity costs come in, giving up something to do something. A successful business or country never ignores opportunity costs. We must ensure that we have a comparative advantage instead of the absolute advantage. Our resources must be used to achieve maximum output. Comparative is met when we have fewer opportunity costs to make some certain products than the other person or entity.

My initial understanding was scarcity was oil potentially running out, but we have so much of it that you can always find more with techniques such as fracking. Now it's obvious to me, one of our most scarce resources is time. You cannot avoid the 8,760 hours in a year. I understand that people have unlimited wants but limited resources. Everything has a cost and we must make a choice as we don't have unlimited farms, factories workers, etc. scarcity forces choices and this ties in with opportunity cost, for every gun made, a theft from the hungry is made. The opportunity cost not being used to feed the poor, but to make guns. And I find it easy to understand no one can have everything choices must be made on benefits. If I'm going to school, imp giving up making cash, as I'm giving up money for an education, I value education more. Scarcity is also related to the invisible hand. As it's an achievement that leads free markets and capitalism through competition for scarce resources.

My understanding of the invisible hand is a person neither intends to promote public interest and does not know how much he is promoting it. Only intending on his own gain. Without being his intention a person can be lead by the invisible hand to do good for society by pursuing one's own self-interest. Going into equity and efficiency the invisible hand does ensure both equity and efficiency. People work in their selfish ways to maximize profit while also contributing to the economy as a whole. It can also be argued that as the invisible hand wants to ensure efficiency, it cannot guarantee efficiency, because it can fail to produce an efficient allocation of resources, which in turn lead to a market failure. It can also be argued that it can't guarantee equity because not everyone gets a fair price. The way I like to remember efficiency is with a real-life example, like a reduction in the number of workers needed to produce a particular good for a particular amount. Equity refers to the ownership interest in an asset, for example, if a person owns a house with a market value of $800,000 and owes $100,000 on the mortgage leaving a $700,000 equity in the home.

It can be predicted that if the price of beef increases - ceteris paribus-the quantity of beef demanded by buys will decrease. In other words, if the price of beef increases, then the quantity of beef increases, then the quantity of beef demanded will decrease because all things have to be equal. In-class lecture thought me all other things remaining the same. Economists use ceteris paribus to determine the effect of a factor when all other factors have been held the same and helps simplify the study and get a more refined data set.

Economists deal with many issues that pertain to assuring that both a countries domestic output is efficient and that there is an effective trade balance. This means that there are a balance and limit on the amount of imports. Also, this means home production must be able to meet export demands. There are many factors that affect the production of goods and their effect on shifting the production possibilities frontier. This involves evaluating every detail including knowing the products and any close substitutes and compliments. It also involves knowing how an action or other external force will affect demand. This is called price elasticity; Substitutes are products that can replace any given product or service. An example of this would be Coke and Pepsi. The presence of substitutes affects price elasticity because if there are other options, then any change to the price or quality of the product will cause a shift of the demand curve. O course, price is a huge reason why the demand for a product decreases or increases yet it doesn't shift the curve because of the price only. This price change will cause a domino effect that will end with the shifting of the demand curve because it will cause an increase or decrease in demand of the substitute good if the price change is either lower or higher respectively. This price change serves as a catalyst that will change people's desire to spend more money on a more expensive product and that will instead choose to buy the substitute good for cheaper or buy more of the desired product. The change in the price of actual products will not shift the demand curve yet the change of the price of substitutes will because it serves to change people's purchasing behavior. On the other hand, compliments serve to boost demand when there is a decrease in price. The use of complementary goods is dependent upon another product. An example of this would be hot dogs and buns. If the price of hotdogs decreases then, conversely, the demand for hot dog buns will increase because of this change in price. In this scenario, the decrease in price will cause a positive shift in the demand curve because of people's desire and willingness to buy more buns. This is an example of a demand shifter. There are a few other demand shifters. The shifters of the demand curve are changes in expectations, disposable income, price of substitute goods and complements, tastes and preferences, and population size and composition. Changes in income affect the demand curve because if income is lower then people tend to save any extra income instead of wasting it. Disposable income is minimized and spending is lower. This also causes people to see a perceived value of things and distinguishing between what is necessary and what is a relative luxury. The lower the income, the higher the saving and avoidance to spend. An example of this would be if someone needs to buy some medication and it is relatively expensive, that doesn't mean that someone won't buy the medication just because it is expensive. It is necessary. Other factors that contribute to spending and demand are having a price ceiling and price floor. Having a price ceiling is a limit on the price of the product this is a government-imposed idea that is meant to protect consumers from unfair pricing and other conditions that may be malicious or obscure. This affects demand because if there is a price ceiling there is a limit on profit on a unit-to-unit basis. The other factor is the price floor. This price floor was created to encourage competition and affect consumers' willingness to pay because sometimes this new price may be higher than the original price. This causes a negative impact on a product that has a less than wanted perceived value. Many factors contribute to economic prosperity and certainly do help assure that information is analyzed and implemented into an economic and business plan.

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ECON-1007EL Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Income Distribution, Barter, Normal Good

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