Economics 2152A/B Lecture Notes - Public Finance, Monetary Policy, Invisible Hand

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15 Nov 2012

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Policies attempt to affect the performance of the economy as a whole (in the short run and long run) Fiscal policy which is determined at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, concerns government taxation and spending. (public finance) Monetary policy under the control of a government institution, called the central bank (bank of canada) in charge of supply of money. Self interest social interest and general welfare. The government should have at most a limited role in the economy. Theory of employment, interest and money (1936) Wages and prices aren"t fully flexible (disequilibrium economics) There is an important role for the government to play to boost the economy and create jobs. Inflation and unemployment: together in 1970"s (stagflation)

Related Questions

Market Analysis Market Participants Market participants act as if they are rational, self-interested, and forward-looking. For example, financial managers try to maximize the present value of profits for their particular companies, rather than ignore future values. Companies pursue many goals, but it is a financial mistake for managers to pursue any goal that conflicts with the primary goal of maximizing their firm's profits. Decentralized decision making by individual market participants is more economically efficient that centralized decision making by government policymakers. For example, it is more economically efficient to have financial managers obtain financing for their particular companies than to have government obtain it. A high degree of competition among market participants is the most economically efficient disciplining mechanism. For example, highly competitive financial markets discipline financial managers to pay fair market interest rates on the debt securities issued by their particular companies. The market system of prices is the most economically efficient allocative mechanism. For example, it is more economically efficient to distribute a firm's corporate stock to those buyers who are willing and able to pay the market price of the stock than to have the government distribute the stock. It is economically efficient for market participants to buy low and sell high globally. For example, it is economically efficient for U.S. firms to sell their financial securities to the highest bidders, no matter where they live in the world economy. Market imperfections can create considerable risk to market participants. For example, because of market imperfections, firms operating in the international financial markets encounter foreign exchange rate risk, political risk, interest rate risk, and default risk. Consumer Sovereignty The principle of consumer sovereignty tells us that by making their dollar votes, consumers indirectly determine the quantity and quality of products that firms will produce. For example, it is not economically efficient for financial managers to obtain more financing for their particular firms than is needed for their firms to produce the profit-maximizing level of output demanded by consumers. Market Economy A highly competitive market economy is largely self-regulating, in the absence of substantial market imperfections, in that economic conditions cannot be substantially improved by government regulation or other types of government intervention beyond laissez-faire policies. For example, if a firm's corporate stock is overvalued by a market economy, market forces will tend to drive down the value of the stock to a market price at which it is neither overvalued nor undervalued. As if by an invisible hand, highly competitive market forces will tend to create a harmony of interests among individual market participants, in the absence of substantial market imperfections. Consequently, the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders are compatible. For example, in trying to maximize profits, firms produce employment, income, consumer products, and wealth for households, as well as tax revenue for government, which helps maximize consumer utility and maximize social welfare. In a market economy, resources, products, and assets flow to their highest valued uses among alternative uses. For example, the shares of firms' corporate stocks will be acquired by those market participants who most highly value them, as indicated by the fact that they are willing to pay the most to acquire them. The efficient economic role of government is limited to Laissez-Faire ("hands off") policies, which create very little intervention in a market economy. For example, government regulations of banking and securities industries to maintain healthy, reasonably profitable, consumer-oriented financial markets would not be needed in a highly competitive market economy in the absence of substantial market imperfections. In a market economy, it is economically efficient for each market participant to specialize according to comparative advantage in producing what they can produce relatively better than other market participants, rather than produce all the outputs they can produce absolutely better than others. For example, it is economically efficient for people who are relatively better at being financial managers than others, to specialize in financial management even if they are absolutely better than others in doing many other types of work. If all labor were allocated to its comparative advantage, then no possible reallocation of labor would exist that could increase the rate of return to labor (i.e., the wage). There is no such thing as a free lunch, because all resources, products, and assets in a market economy are scarce. For example, current federal government budget deficits are not free to current market participants in that the deficits must be financed by future tax increases and/or future decreases in government spending and/or future inflation. For additional information on the Market Economy click here. Marks, R. E. (2006, December). There Is No Such Thing As Free Lunch. Australian Journal of Management. 31(2). 1-7. Financial Decisions An efficient financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition is one that is optimal -- meaning best; it cannot be improved, from society's perspective. If there is some profitable way to improve some business practice that would benefit society, that practice is somewhat inefficient. Any change in a financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition that improves society is an efficiency improvement. For example, it is an efficiency improvement for a business to cut production costs by reducing waste (e.g., by reducing spending on unprofitable activity. A financial decision, practice, transaction, or condition is fair-- meaning just or equitable, if the financial benefits are distributed to those involved in proportion to how much they each voluntarily contributed to produce those benefits. For example, a financial practice that discriminates against some people on the basis of race, age, gender, nationality, or religion is unfair. For example, an unethical business practice is unfair. For additional information relating to Market Analysis and fair financial decisions, click on the following: Teaching Ethical Economic Practices to Business Managers. Johnston, C. (2009, October). The Proceedings of the Annual Conference of The International Academy of Business and Economics. Fairness is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition, for efficiency. All efficient financial practices are fair, but some fair practices may still fail to be efficient. For example, embezzling company funds is an unfair and inefficient, criminal financial activity. As another example, an ethical business practice that could be improved is fair but not efficient. Opportunity Cost Principle Opportunity cost principle: The efficient measure of the cost of any allocation of resources, products, money income, wealth, or time is its opportunity cost -- the value of the next best use. The opportunity cost of how one uses his or her resources is the value of the highest valued alternative use. The opportunity cost of one investment is the expected return on the next best investment available to the firm. For example, the opportunity cost of a firm using some of its profits to pay dividends to its stockholders would be the present value of future income those profits could have earned if invested in the firm's highest valued investment project.

Discussion Questions These questions stem from the Class Discussion Questions you will be anwering in the Discussion Board. Think about the questions and how they relate to the financial management principles above.

2. Applications: State the financial management principle that appears to be violated in each of the following cases and explain how it is violated:

(a) A corporation is maximizing sales growth and the price of its corporate stock is falling.

(b) A highly paid financial manager in the auto industry quit his job to set up his own small auto repair shop, which is expected to incur a loss for the first three years then earn normal profits.

1.Ceteris paribus, if the U.S. federal government reduces its budget deficit which of the following will be observed?

Answer

	a.	The aggregate demand curve will shift to the right.
	b.	The economy will always approach potential GDP.
	c.	The marginal propensity to consume will increase.
	d.	The average price level will increase.
	e.	The aggregate demand curve will shift to the left.

2. If the government wants to close a GDP gap, it can:

Answer

	a.	lower government spending on social security.
	b.	adopt contractionary fiscal policies to control inflation.
	c.	increase its budget deficit.
	d.	repay its borrowings.
	e.	raise both direct and indirect tax rates.

3. Suppose the short-run equilibrium level of income exceeds the full employment level of income and there is high inflation. Hence, the government decides to implement a fiscal policy that will act to reduce national output and price level. This can be accomplished by:

Answer

	a.	lowering average tax rates such that aggregate supply is increased.
	b.	increasing government spending such that aggregate expenditures are increased.
	c.	increasing transfer payments such that aggregate expenditures decline.
	d.	raising taxes and government spending by the same amount such that aggregate supply is decreased and aggregate demand is increased.
	e.	decreasing government spending such that aggregate demand is reduced.

4. A drop in investment spending caused by increased government budget deficits is referred to as:

Answer

	a.	the multiplier effect.
	b.	crowding out.
	c.	an expansionary gap.
	d.	the paradox of thrift.
	e.	the Ricardian equivalence.

5. Discretionary fiscal policy is best defined as:

Answer

	a.	the deliberate manipulation of the money supply to expand the economy.
	b.	the deliberate change in tax laws and government spending to change equilibrium income.
	c.	the policy action taken by the Congress to reduce the federal budget deficit.
	d.	the arbitrary fluctuation in tax laws and budget requirements.
	e.	the automatic change in certain fiscal instruments when real GDP changes.

6. Which of the following can be considered as an automatic stabilizer in the economy?

Answer

	a.	Money supply
	b.	Disposable income
	c.	Real exchange rate
	d.	Real interest rate
	e.	Unemployment insurance

7. Which of the following is true about automatic stabilizers?

Answer

	a.	When income rises, automatic stabilizers increase/boost spending.
	b.	Automatic stabilizers are a part of discretionary fiscal policy.
	c.	An automatic stabilizer is any program that responds to fluctuations in the business cycle in a way that moderates the effects of those fluctuations.
	d.	Any kind of trade policy adopted by the government will be considered as an automatic stabilizer.
	e.	The interest rate is an example of an automatic stabilizer.

8. Increased budget deficits

Answer

	a.	can cause interest rates to increase and hence decrease net exports
	b.	have no effect on net exports
	c.	can cause interest rates to decrease and hence increase net exports
	d.	never impose additional interest costs on the government

9. The Ricadian Equivalence implies that when financing additional government expenditures

Answer

	a.	there is no difference between increasing current taxes or borrowing now and increasing taxes in the future because consumption will decrease either way.
	b.	there is no difference between increasing current taxes or borrowing now and increasing taxes in the future because consumption will increase either way.
	c.	increasing borrowing is the best option
	d.	increasing current taxes is the best option

10. Assuming no effects on aggregate supply, if the government increases government spending and decreases taxes in an attempt to prevent a possible recession, aggregate demand will shift to the ____, the price level will either remain constant or ____, and the level of real GDP will ____.

Answer

	a.	right; decrease; increase
	b.	right; decrease; decrease
	c.	left; decrease; decrease
	d.	left; increase; increase
	e.	right; increase; increase

11. For a hypothetical economy, the MPS is 0.08 and the MPI is 0.17. If government spending increases by $35 and taxes increase by $35, what will be the net effect on equilibrium income?

Answer

	a.	A decrease of $35
	b.	An increase of $105
	c.	An increase of $35
	d.	A decrease of $105
	e.	A decrease of $15

12.12. The term fiscal policy refers to

Answer

	a.	the adjustment of the GDP for inflation.
	b.	the purchase and sale of U.S. government securities to regulate the money supply.
	c.	the use of government spending and taxation to influence the level of economic growth and inflation.
	d.	the use of fines to penalize unfair business practices.
	e.	a policy action by Congress to overrule unpopular budget cuts by the president.

13. If aggregate demand intersects aggregate supply in the vertical range of the aggregate supply curve, then, other things equal, an increase in government spending will

Answer

	a.	raise the price level and leave real GDP unchanged.
	b.	raise real GDP by the amount indicated by the government spending multiplier and leave the price level unchanged.
	c.	raise both real GDP and the price level by a multiple of the initial spending increase.
	d.	have no effect on real GDP or on the price level, because all private investment will be crowded out.
	e.	lower real GDP by an amount equal to the spending increase and reduce inflation.

14. Which of the following is not a means to finance government spending?

Answer

	a.	Government subsidies
	b.	Government debt
	c.	Capital gains taxes
	d.	Personal income taxes
	e.	Money creation

15. An automatic stabilizer is

Answer

	a.	a change in government spending aimed at achieving a policy goal.
	b.	an element of fiscal policy that automatically changes in value as real GDP changes.
	c.	an element of monetary policy that automatically changes in value as real GDP changes.
	d.	a decrease in tax rates as the economy moves into a recession.
	e.	a deliberate change in taxation aimed at increasing real GDP.

16. Budget deficits tend to grow during recessions because

Answer

	a.	real GDP growth is zero, which causes neither tax receipts nor government expenditures to grow.
	b.	real GDP growth is positive, which reduces both tax receipts and transfer payments.
	c.	real GDP growth is negative, which reduces transfer payments in relation to tax receipts.
	d.	real GDP growth is negative, which reduces tax receipts in relation to government expenditures.
	e.	real GDP growth is positive, which increases tax receipts in relation to government expenditures.

Question 32

Tim, a citizen of the United States living in Virginia, buys a computer that was made in South Korea by a Japanese firm. This transaction would affect the GDP of the United States in which way?

		Net exports would decrease and GDP would decrease.
		Net exports would decrease and GDP would be unaffected.
		Net exports would increase and GDP would increase.
		Net exports would increase and consumption would increase.

1 points

Question 33

An increase in U.S. government spending tends to

		increase U.S. interest rates and increase the U.S. capital account surplus.
		increase U.S. interest rates and decrease the U.S. capital account surplus.
		decrease U.S. interest rates and increase the U.S. capital account surplus.
		decrease U.S. interest rates and decrease the U.S. capital account surplus.

1 points

Question 34

A _______ is a system in which the government intervenes extensively in the foreign exchange market to keep the exchange rate within certain bounds.

dirty float

floating exchange rate

fixed exchange rate

dollarization

1 points

Question 35

Suppose the exchange rate between the euro and the dollar is E0.5 to $1. If a Big Mac costs $3 in the United States and E1.5 in Germany, then the real exchange rate is

1:1.

2:1.

1:2.

It cannot be determined from this information.

1 points

Question 36

Which of the following prevent the purchasing power parity theorem from holding perfectly?

transportation costs

goods that cannot be shipped

tariffs and quotas

Each of these answers is correct.

1 points

Question 37

Fiscal policy is more effective in affecting economic activity if

		many resources are unemployed.
		there is a real shock instead of an aggregate demand shock.
		the economy returns to the long-run condition almost immediately.
		there is a long implementation lag.

1 points

Question 38

In a typical year, changes in government spending compared to overall spending are relatively

small.

large.

unpredictable.

well-timed.

1 points

Question 39

Which statement is TRUE about the difference between monetary and fiscal policy?

		Fiscal policy can quickly adjust to changes in aggregate demand.
		Fiscal policy can have a more direct impact.
		Monetary policy is subject to many long lags.
		Monetary policy can affect the economy regardless of the actions banks take.

1 points

Question 40

Fiscal policies that help an economy in a recession without additional actions by policy makers are called

consumption smoothers.

Ricardian equalizers.

automatic stabilizers.

Each of these answers is correct.

1 points

Question 41

The U.S. individual income tax system can best be described as a

regressive tax system.

flat tax system.

zero tax system.

progressive tax system.

1 points

Question 42

What demographic change in the United States will cause government spending to increase in the next 50 years?

The population over 65 will grow.

The population will be younger.

Women will have fewer children.

Immigration will increase.

1 points

Question 43

What kind of rising costs will mostly cause U.S. government spending to skyrocket in the future?

defense

environmental protection

education

health care

1 points

Question 47

The Fed could have popped the bubble of the housing boom in the 2000s by

lending directly to homeowners.

regulating the stock markets more.

reducing the growth rate of the money supply.

doing nothing.

1 points

Question 48

Which of the following would be an example of running monetary policy by rules?

A 5 percent increase in money supply automatically leads to a 2 percent increase in real GDP.

An increase in money supply automatically leads to an increase in inflation.

The Fed will increase money growth to different levels, depending on the severity of the recession.

A 1 percent drop in real GDP will automatically elicit a 2 percent increase in money supply.

Question 50

Moral hazard occurs when

		the failure of one financial institution can bring down other institutions as well.
		financial institutions take on too much risk because they are insured.
		financial institutions become insolvent because they issued too many loans.
		there are more short-term liabilities than short-term assets.

Which of the following is NOT a transmission mechanism?

reductions in the money supply

intertemporal substitution

uncertainty

sticky wages and prices

Question 56

For a given increase in government spending growth, intertemporal substitution is more widespread when

		the impact of AD growth on both inflation and real GDP growth is stronger.
		the impact of AD growth on both inflation and real GDP growth is weaker.
		the impact of AD growth on inflation is stronger and the impact of the AD growth on real GDP growth is weaker.
		the impact of AD growth on inflation is weaker and the impact of AD growth on real GDP growth is stronger.

Stalin:

		instituted democratic reforms, leading to widespread prosperity.
		took government control of the farms in Ukraine, leading to the starvation of millions of people.
		increased the provision of public goods, which had a positive effect on lowering the unemployment rate.
		tried unsuccessfully to expand voting rights in 1924 Russia.

1 points

Question 60

1 points

Question 59

If voters care about two issues such as taxes and war, then politicians:

		will form a stable policy on these issues.
		can pose a policy that will never lose against another policy.
		must assume that there is no median voter.
		may never converge on a stable outcome.

1 points

Question 58

Policy A adversely affects 50 million people at a cost of $1 per person. But Policy A also benefits 1,000 people at $30,000 per person. Which of the following statements is true?

		Policy A will not become law because it hurts more people than it helps.
		Policy A concentrates all the costs among a small group of people and all the benefits among a large group of people.
		Policy A is likely to be supported by politicians even though it makes society worse off.
		Since Policy A negatively affects many people, and so rational ignorance will not be a problem.

1 points

Question 57

Data for the United States show that the incumbent party tends to win the election if:
I. personal disposable income is growing.
II. the inflation rate is low.
III. the political party has not been in power for too many continuous terms.

		I only
		I and II only
		I and III only
		I, II, and III

1 points

Question 53

1 points

Question 52

What is the purpose of the Fed's structure?

		to give the President of the United States as many tools as possible to regulate the economy
		to make sure all states are given equal access to monetary policy decisions
		to keep the private sector out of the monetary policy making arena
		to keep the power of the Fed dispersed

1 points

Question 51

An increase in money growth will cause inflation to increase in

		the short run only.
		the long run only.
		both the short run and the long run.
		neither the short run nor the long run.

Economics 2152A/B Lecture Notes - Public Finance, Monetary Policy, Invisible Hand

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Related Questions

		dirty float
		floating exchange rate
		fixed exchange rate
		dollarization

		transportation costs
		goods that cannot be shipped
		tariffs and quotas
		Each of these answers is correct.

		consumption smoothers.
		Ricardian equalizers.
		automatic stabilizers.
		Each of these answers is correct.

		regressive tax system.
		flat tax system.
		zero tax system.
		progressive tax system.

		The population over 65 will grow.
		The population will be younger.
		Women will have fewer children.
		Immigration will increase.

		lending directly to homeowners.
		regulating the stock markets more.
		reducing the growth rate of the money supply.
		doing nothing.

		1:1.
		2:1.
		1:2.
		It cannot be determined from this information.

		small.
		large.
		unpredictable.
		well-timed.

		defense
		environmental protection
		education
		health care