ECON-1006EL Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Mixed Economy, Opportunity Cost

56 views2 pages
Chapter 1: What is Economics? Economic Issues and Concepts
Definitions
Factors of Production
Resources used to produce goods and services; frequently divided into the
basic categories of land, labour, and capital
Goods
Tangible commodities such as cars or shoes
Services
Intangible commodities, such as haircuts or medical care
Production
The act of making goods or services
Consumption
The act of using goods or services to satisfy wants
Opportunity Cost
The cost of using resources for a certain purpose, measured by the benefit
given up by not using them in their best alternative use
Production Possibility
Boundary
A curve showing which alternative combinations of commodities can just be
attained if all available resources are used efficiently; it is the boundary
between attainable an unattainable output combinations
Resource Allocation
The allocation of an economy’s scarce resources among alternative uses
Microeconomics
The study of the causes and consequences of allocation of resources as it is
affected by the workings of the price system
Macroeconomics
The study of the determination of economic aggregates such as total output,
the price level, employment and growth
Specialization of
Labour
The specialization of individual workers in the production of particular goods
or services
Division of Labour
The breaking up of a production process into a series of specialized tasks,
each done by a different worker
Barter
An economic system in which goods and services are traded directly for other
goods and services.
Traditional Economy
An economy in which behavior is based mostly on tradition
Command Economy
An economy in which most economic decisions are made by a central
planning authority
Free-Market Economy
An economy in which most economic decisions are made by private
households and firms
Mixed Economy
An economy in which some economic decisions are made by firms and
households and some by the government
Key Points
Economics is the study of the use of scares resources to satisfy unlimited human wants.
Scarcity implies that choices must be made, and making choices implies the existence of
costs.
Every time a choice is made, opportunity costs are incurred.
A production possibilities boundary illustrates three concepts: scarcity, choice, and
opportunity cost. Scarcity is indicated by the unattainable combinations outside the
boundary; choice, by the need to choose among the alternative attainable points along the
boundary; and opportunity cost, by the negative slope of the boundary.
A great insight of early economists was that an economy based on free-market
transactions is self-organizing.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Unlock document

This preview shows half of the first page of the document.
Unlock all 2 pages and 3 million more documents.

Already have an account? Log in

Document Summary

Resources used to produce goods and services; frequently divided into the basic categories of land, labour, and capital. Intangible commodities, such as haircuts or medical care. The act of using goods or services to satisfy wants. The cost of using resources for a certain purpose, measured by the benefit given up by not using them in their best alternative use. A curve showing which alternative combinations of commodities can just be attained if all available resources are used efficiently; it is the boundary between attainable an unattainable output combinations. The allocation of an economy"s scarce resources among alternative uses. The study of the causes and consequences of allocation of resources as it is affected by the workings of the price system. The study of the determination of economic aggregates such as total output, the price level, employment and growth. The specialization of individual workers in the production of particular goods or services.

Get access

Grade+20% off
$8 USD/m$10 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Grade+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
40 Verified Answers
Class+
$8 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Class+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
30 Verified Answers

Related Documents

Related Questions