ECON-3020 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Nominal Rigidity, Market Clearing

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rubywoodchuck938

15 May 2018

School

Vanderbilt University

Department

Economics

Course

ECON-3020

Professor

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Chapter 1: The Science of Macroeconomics

1.1: What macroeconomists study

● Three macroeconomic variables are especially important

○ Real GDP: measures total income of everyone in the economy, adjusted for

the level of prices

○ The inflation rate measures how fast prices are rising

○ The unemployment rate measures the fraction of the labor force that is out

of work

● Two notable trends of GDP

○ Real GDP grows over time

○ Although real GDP rises in most years, this growth is not steady

■ Periods during which real GDP falls (most dramatically in the early

1930s) are called recessions if they are mild and depressions if they

are severe

● Inflation varies substantially over time, but has been the norm for at least 50 years

○ Most severe in the late 1970s

○ In recent years, it has risen about 2% each year

● There is always some unemployment in the economy

○ Recessions and depressions are associated with unusually high

unemployment

1.2: How economists think

● Models

○ Two kinds of variables

■ Endogenous variables (output): variables that the model tries to

explain

■ Exogenous variables (input): variables that a model takes as given

○ Purpose of the model is to show how the exogenous variables affect the

endogenous variables

○ Most famous model: supply and demand

■ Qd=D(P,Y) where D represents the demand function

● Quantity demanded depends on the price of the pizza P and

the aggregate income Y

■ Qs=S(P,Y) where S represents the supply function

● Quantity supplied depends on price of pizza and price of

materials pm (cheese, tomatoes, flour, etc.)

■ Qs=Qd

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Document Summary

Real gdp: measures total income of everyone in the economy, adjusted for the level of prices. The inflation rate measures how fast prices are rising. The unemployment rate measures the fraction of the labor force that is out of work. Although real gdp rises in most years, this growth is not steady. Periods during which real gdp falls (most dramatically in the early. 1930s) are called recessions if they are mild and depressions if they are severe. Inflation varies substantially over time, but has been the norm for at least 50 years. In recent years, it has risen about 2% each year. There is always some unemployment in the economy. Recessions and depressions are associated with unusually high unemployment. Endogenous variables (output): variables that the model tries to explain. Exogenous variables (input): variables that a model takes as given. Purpose of the model is to show how the exogenous variables affect the endogenous variables.

Related Questions

1. Which of the following transactions would add to the value of the U.S. GDP?

A. A college student buys a used car.
B. A college student sells her used textbooks back to the bookstore.
C. A grocery store purchases new freezers made in the United States.

D. U.S. citizen buys a new television manufactured in Asia.

2. The growth rate of real GDP:
A. depends on which year is used as the base year.
B. depends on how quickly prices are rising.
C. is always equal to the rate of growth of nominal GDP. D. is always more than the rate of growth of nominal GDP.

3. Which statement is true about GDP?
A. GDP includes the values of all final and intermediate goods and services.
B. Only the products made by American workers are included in the calculation of the US GDP.

C. Sales of old houses and used cars are included in the calculation of GDP for the current year.

D. In the US, GDP is calculated both annually and quarterly.

4. Which statement is true about GDP growth?
A. The GDP deflator is a measure of economic growth.
B. If we want to compare GDP over time, we should always compare real GDP.
C. Most economists choose nominal GDP growth as a single indicator of economic performance.

D. The GDP deflator tells the quantity change of production.

5. Which of the following is a way to compute GDP?

A. add up the wages paid to all workers

B. add up the quantities of all final goods and services
C. add up the market value of all final goods and services

D. add up the rents paid by all tenants

6. A farmer produces oranges and sells them to Fresh Juice, which makes orange juice. The oranges produced by the farmer are called:
A. inventory goods
B. transitory goods

C. final goods
D. intermediate goods

7. Martin, a US citizen, travels to Mexico and buys a newly manufactured motorcycle there. His purchase is included in:

A. both Mexican GDP and US GDP.

B. Mexican GDP, but not in US GDP.

C. US GDP, but not in Mexican GDP.

D. neither Mexican GDP nor US GDP.

8. Which of the following is included in Singapore GDP?

A. The value of production by a Singaporean working in the US.
B. The value of production by an American working in Singapore.
C. The value of production by a Singaporean that crosses the order to work in Malaysia.

D. All of the above are correct.

9. In the equation Y = C + I + G + NX,
A. Y represents the economy's total expenditure.

B. C represents household on durable goods.
C. all of the variables are always positive numbers.

D. All of the above are correct.

10. Consumption consists of spending by households on goods and services, except

purchases of intangible services.

purchases of durable goods.

purchases of new houses.

spending on education.

11. Which of the following is included in government purchase?

A. unemployment benefits a state government pays

B. social security payments the US government makes
C. the services of a US government attorney valued at the cost of her salary

D. All of the above are correct.

12. Transfer payments are:

A. included in GDP because they represent income to individuals.
B. included in GDP because they eventually will be spent on consumption.
C. not included in GDP because they are not payments for currently produced goods or services.

D. not included in GDP because taxes will have to be raised to pay for them.

13. Net exports equal
A. exports plus imports

B. exports minus imports

C. imports minus exports

D.GDP minus imports

14. In the economy of TAMIU in 2015, exports were $200, GDP was $2000, government purchases were $200, imports were $270, and investment was $500. What was TAMIU's consumption in 2015?

A. $830

B. $1230

C. $1370

D. $1770

15. Nominal GDP will increase when

A. prices increase and output increases.
B. prices increase and output decreases.
C. prices decrease and output increases.

D. All of the above are correct.

16. Changes in real GDP reflect:

A. only changes in prices.

B. only changes in the amounts being produced.
C. both changes in prices and changes in the amounts being produced.

D. neither changes in prices nor changes in the amounts being produced.

17. Which of the following is correct?
A. Nominal GDP is always less than real GDP.

B. Nominal GDP is always greater than real GDP.
C. Nominal GDP equals real GDP in the base year.
D. Nominal GDP equals real GDP in all years but the base year.

18. The GDP deflator is the ratio of:

A. real GDP to nominal GDP.

B. real GDP to the inflation rate.
C. real GDP to nominal GDP.
D. nominal GDP to the inflation rate.

19. In 2012 the nominal GDP was $18 billion and the GDP deflator was 120, what was real GDP?
A. $6.7 billion
B. $10 billion

C. $40 billion D. $100 billion

20. In the base year, the GDP deflator is always equal to A. -1
B. 0
C. 2

D. 1

21. GDP does not reflect:

A. the value of leisure.

B. the value of goods and services produced at home.

C. the quality of the environment.
D. All of the above are correct.

22. When economists talk about growth in the economy, they measure that growth as the:

A. absolute change in nominal GDP from one period to another.

B. percentage change in nominal GDP from one period to another.

C. absolute change in real GDP from one period to another.
D. percentage change in real GDP from one period to another.

23. The term economists use to describe a situation in which the economyâs overall price level is rising is:

A. economic growth

B. inflation
C. recession
D. business cycles

Use information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) website, http://www.bea.gov/, answer question 24 and 25.

24. What is the real GDP growth rate in the 4th quarter of 2015 for the United States?

A. 1%
B. 2%
C. 3%

D. 4%

25. What is the value of real GDP in 1998 for the United States?

A. $11525.9 billion

B. $9089.2 billion

C. $11321.2 billion

D. $8889.7 billion

goldgnu271

1. A financial crisis coupled with a recession seems to affect the severity and duration of the recession. How?

a. Financial crises tend to make recessions milder and shorter
b. Financial crises tend to make recessions milder, but last longer
c. Financial crises tend to make recessions longer and more severe
d. Financial crises tend to make recessions more severe, but shorter

2. The end of the Great Depression troubled a lot of people. Why?

a. It lasted so long that people actually missed it
b. It disappeared without any warning
c. It ended so slowly that the public thought that was no improvement
d. It never really ended; it was merely interrupted by World War II
e. President Roosevelt said that he had ended the depression, but he was lying
f. The end of the depression coincided with massive inflation

Suppose that you have been asked to compare the problem of bank failures during the Obama recession with the past. How does the number of bank failures in the Obama recession compare to the 1930s or the Reagan recession?

a. the Obama recession had far more bank failures than the Great Depression or the Reagan recession
b. the bank failures of the 1930s were the worst, but the Obama recession was second only to the Great Depression in bank failures
c. bank failures were more numerous in the 1930s and in the Reagan recession
d. many banks failed in the 1930s and the current situation is not quite as bad, but there were no bank failures in the Reagan recession

When we reach full employment in the U.S. economy today, what will the unemployment rate be?

a. 0%

b. 3%

c. 4% - 4.5%

d. 5.0% - 6.0%

e. 10%

5. Which type of unemployment includes a person who has given up looking for a job because he thinks it is just a waste of time?

a. frictional unemployment
b. structural unemployment
c. cyclical unemployment
d. seasonal unemployment
e. voluntary unemployment
f. discouraged workers

Choose the answer that fills-in both blanks: How good was the original fit of the data for the Phillips Curve for the U.S. economy in the 1960s? __________ How good was the fit of the data for the Phillips Curve for the U.S. economy after the 1960s? ______________
a. adequate/okay
b. adequate/very good
c. okay/not as good, but still okay
d. adequate/not good
e. very good/even better
f. very good/okay
g. very good/not good
h. very good/very good

In the 20th century, only two countries stood out in terms of robust job creation. The two countries were:

a. China and Japan
b. Germany and France
c. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
d. The U.S. and Japan
e. The U.S. and Germany

8. It is very common to see the unemployment rate actually increase as the economy begins to recover (i.e., after the trough). What causes the unemployment rate to rise at this time?

a. structural unemployment increases
b. cyclical unemployment increases
c. seasonal unemployment increases
d. voluntary unemployment increases
e. discouraged workers return to the workforce

Danish labor market reforms are referenced in the Commentary. These reforms attempt to make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers. Which of these two are easier to hire or easier to fire is the primary or critical dimension of the reforms?
a. hire workers
b. fire workers
c. neither hire nor fire workers; the reforms have nothing to do with either

10.

The original Phillips Curve depicted by Almarin Phillips sought to show a relationship between unemployment and _______________. Subsequent versions of the Phillips Curve usually depict a relationship between unemployment and ___________________.
a. real GDP / nominal GDP
b. nominal GDP / real GDP
c. changes in wages/changes in prices (inflation)
d. changes in prices/changes in wages
e. changes in employment/changes in new jobs created
f. changes in new jobs created / changes in employment
g. changes in hat sizes/changes in dress sizes

chocolatemuskrat416

1. Fiscal policy attempts to affect the level of overall spendingin the economy by changes in:
A) the interest rate.
B) the money supply.
C) banking regulations.
D) taxes and spending.

2. Economists have identified several consecutive months of fallingemployment and forecasts for the next few months are for more ofthe same. At what point in the business cycle is the economyapparently located?
A) recession
B) expansion
C) business cycle peak
D) business cycle trough

3. The onset of the Great Depression:
A) was not a shock to anyone since most economists predicted theâroaring 20sâ were bound to end in disaster.
B) created a disagreement between the Hoover administration andconventional economists because Hoover wanted the government tointervene much more quickly than most others.
C) came as a considerable shock to the conventional wisdom ofeconomics at that time and opened the door for critiques ofmainstream thought by economists like JM Keynes.
D) was in 1918 at the end of World War I.

4. When economists measure economic growth, they often use:
A) the inflation rate.
B) the unemployment rate.
C) nominal GDP.
D) real GDP.

5. In a typical business cycle, the business cycle peak isimmediately followed by the:
A) recession.
B) business cycle trough.
C) expansion.
D) depression.

6. Suppose an economy experiences rising total output accompaniedby increasing employment, this is generally known as:
A) stagflation.
B) recession.
C) inflation.
D) expansion.

7. Controlling interest rates is an example of:
A) fiscal policy.
B) tax policy.
C) monetary policy.
D) exchange rate policy.

8. The alternation between recessions and expansions is known asthe:
A) unemployment rate.
B) long-run economic growth.
C) business cycle.
D) macroeconomy.

9. A recession in America is typically associated with:
A) a falling unemployment rate.
B) a decrease in the number of people living in poverty.
C) a decrease in the percentage of Americans with healthinsurance.
D) an increase in corporate profits.

10. The purpose of macroeconomic policy is to:
A) bring unemployment closer to the natural rate.
B) reduce the severity of recessions.
C) rein in excessively strong expansions.
D) bring unemployment closer to the natural rate and to reduce theseverity of recessions.

11. The trade balance is the difference between the value ofthe:
A) trade deficit and the budget deficit.
B) goods and services that one country sells to other countries andthe value of the goods and services it buys in return.
C) exchange rates of two countries that are engaged ininternational trade.
D) national debt and the foreign debt.

12. Increasing the total amount of available productive resourcesis the focus of __________.
A) macroeconomics
B) fiscal policy
C) monetary policy
D) microeconomics

13. The point on a business cycle when real GDP stops rising andbegins falling is a(n):
A) peak.
B) trough.
C) expansion.
D) recession.

14. During a recession, one will often observe:
A) aggregate output rising.
B) unemployment rates will be increasing while aggregate output isfalling.
C) employment rates will be rising.
D) zero unemployment rates.

15. Monetary policy involves:
A) changes in government spending.
B) changes in government tax receipts.
C) changes in the quantity of money.
D) changes in tax rates.

16. The trough of the business cycle:
A) comes right after the expansion phase.
B) comes before the recession phase.
C) is a temporary maximum level of real GDP.
D) is a temporary minimum level of real GDP.

17. Which one of the following statements about the U.S. economy isnot accurate?
A) Since the Second World War, aggregate output grew at a ratelower than the average annual growth rate of population.
B) Since the Second World War, aggregate output grew at a ratehigher than the average annual growth rate of population.
C) Since the Second World War, macroeconomic policy has helped makethe economy more stable.
D) Long-run growth per capita is the key to higher wages and arising standard of living.

18. An economic recovery is all of the following except:
A) economic growth of a sustained nature.
B) a short-run increase in aggregate production in aneconomy.
C) a time of increasing employment.
D) the end of the business cycle.

19. Which of the following would NOT be classified as amacroeconomic question?
A) How many people are employed in the economy as a whole?
B) What determines the overall level of prices in the economy as awhole?
C) What determines the overall trade in goods, services, andfinancial assets between the United States and the rest of theworld?
D) What determines the cost to a university or college of offeringa new course?

20. Which of the following statements regarding price level orinflation is correct?
A) Supply and demand can not explain why a particular good orservice becomes more expensive relative to other goods andservices.
B) Inflation affects only the more advanced countries whereas lessadvanced countries face deflation.
C) Prices of most goods and services remained stable during thegreat depression.
D) In general, when the economy is in recession and jobs are hardto find, inflation tends to fall.

21. If wages grew at a 5% rate last year and average prices grew ata 3% rate, then the average worker is:
A) better off.
B) worse off.
C) no better or worse off.
D) unaffected.

22. In an open economy:
A) the exchange rate is determined by the government.
B) specialization in activities with a comparative advantage is notpossible.
C) trade is only beneficial to the relatively larger economy.
D) there is trade in goods, services, or assets with othercountries.

23. Changes in government spending and taxes in an effort to changeoverall spending in an economy is:
A) fiscal policy.
B) monetary policy.
C) investment.
D) the stock market.

24. If an economy is open, this means that:
A) anyone can immigrate to the country.
B) trading with other countries makes up a portion of itseconomy.
C) it does not trade with other countries.
D) it will experience a drop in its real GDP.

25. Inflation is a situation where:
A) the average price level falls.
B) the average price level increases.
C) the average price level becomes negative.
D) the real price level falls.

26. The topics studied in macroeconomics include:
A) the price of a motorcycle.
B) the wages of engineers.
C) the average price level in the economy.
D) how much ice cream consumers buy.

27. A period of rising real GDP is a(n):
A) peak.
B) trough.
C) expansion.
D) recession.

28. The modern tools of macroeconomic policy are:
A) tax policy and antitrust policy.
B) fiscal policy and monetary policy.
C) monetary policy and exchange rate policy.
D) capital policy and labor policy.

29. A ârubber neckingâ traffic jam is an example of:
A) microeconomics in action.
B) individual behavior that has a large aggregate impact.
C) the paradox of thrift.
D) an outcome smaller than the sum of its parts.

30. The most painful consequence of a recession is:
A) rising unemployment.
B) increasing inflation.
C) increasing aggregate output.
D) higher interest rates.

31. Per capita economic growth is:
A) economic growth per unit of capital.
B) economic growth per person.
C) economic expansion over the business cycle.
D) sustained increase in aggregate output.

32. Keynesian economics stressed:
A) total spending.
B) the self-regulating power of free markets.
C) the long run.
D) that the Depression should run its course to bring down the highcost of living.

33. When an economy's overall production grows faster than itspopulation, this is referred to as:
A) long-run growth per capita.
B) an increase in nominal GDP.
C) deflation.
D) the paradox of thrift.

34. Fiscal policy attempts to affect the overall level of spendingin the economy through:
A) changes in the inflation rate.
B) changes in the quantity of money or the interest rate.
C) changes in tax policy or government spending.
D) discretionary regulation of profits and wages.

35. With regard to the aggregate price level, economists generallybelieve:
A) price stability is a desirable goal.
B) inflation is worse than deflation.
C) deflation is worse than inflation.
D) inflation actually benefits most retired people.

36. Recessions are periods when:
A) output rises.
B) the aggregate price level rises.
C) the unemployment rate is falling.
D) output and employment are falling.

37. Monetary policy attempts to affect the overall level ofspending in the economy by changes in:
A) taxes.
B) taxes and spending.
C) taxes and interest rates.
D) interest rates and the quantity of money.

38. The basic difference between an economic recession and economicdepression is that:
A) the latter is a shorter economic downturn than the former.
B) during recessions output falls faster than duringdepressions.
C) during depressions employment falls faster than duringrecessions.
D) the former is a longer economic downturn than the latter.

39. The central mission of modern macroeconomics is to prevent_____ from happening again.
A) recessions
B) inflation
C) deflation
D) anything like the Great Depression

40. Fiscal policy refers to:
A) the control of interest rates.
B) the control of government spending and taxations.
C) the control of the quantity of money.
D) the control of interest rates and of government spending.

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ECON-3020 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Nominal Rigidity, Market Clearing

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