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8445494347SupplyHow much of a good or service a producer is willing and able to produce at different prices.0
8445494348DemandConsumer willingness and ability to buy products1
8445494349Substitution Effectwhen consumers react to an increase in a good's price by consuming less of that good and more of other goods2
8445494350Income EffectA change in the quantity demanded of a product that results from the change in real income (purchasing power) caused by a change in the product's price.3
8445494351Price Elasticity of DemandA measure of how much the quantity demanded of a good responds to a change in the price of that good, computed as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price4
8445494352Law of Demandconsumers buy more of a good when its price decreases and less when its price increases5
8445494353Midpoint Methoda technique for calculating the percent change in which changes in a variable are compared with the average, or midpoint, of the starting and final values.6
8445494354Perfectly InelasticThe case where the quantity demanded is completely unresponsive to price, and the price elasticity of demand equals zero.7
8445494355Perfectly ElasticIn the extreme situation where a small price reduction causes buyers to increase their purchases from zero to all they can obtain. Thus the coefficient is infinite.8
8445494356Unit Elasticitya demand relationship in which the percentage change in quantity of a product demanded is the same as the percentage change in price in absolute value (a demand elasticity of -1)9
8445494357Total Revenuethe amount paid by buyers and received by sellers of a good, computed as the price of the good times the quantity sold10
8445494358Price Effectinclination of people to buy less of something at higher prices than they would buy at lower prices11
8445494359Quantity Effectafter a price increase, fewer units are sold, which tends to lower revenue12
8445494360ElasticA measure of the responsiveness of quantity demanded or quantity supplied to a change in one of its determinants13
8445494361InelasticDescribes demand that is not very sensitive to price changes14
8445494362Cross-Price Elasticity of DemandEx,y = (%dQd good X) / (%d Price Y). If Ex,y > 0, goods X and Y are substitutes. If Ex,y < 0, goods X and Y are complementary15
8445494363Income Elasticity of DemandIncome Elasticity of Demand: The income elasticity of demand measures the impact of a consumer's income on his or her demand for a product. If the product is a normal good, the income elasticity of demand will be a positive number; if the product is an inferior good, the income elasticity of demand will be a negative number. If income has a strong impact on the consumer's demand for the product, the income elasticity of demand will be a large number in absolute value; if income has a weak impact on the consumer's demand for the product, the income elasticity of demand will be a small number in absolute value.16
8445494364Price Elasticity of SupplyA measure of how much the quantity supplied of a good responds to a change in the price of that good, computed as the percentage change in quantity supplied divided by the percentage change in price17
8445494365Perfectly Inelastic Supply18
8445494366Perfectly Elastic Supply19
8445494367Consumer SurplusThe amount a buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it20
8445494368Producer SurplusThe amount a seller is paid for a good minus the seller's cost of providing it21
8445494369Total SurplusConsumer Surplus + Producer Surplus22
8445494370Progressive TaxA tax for which the percentage of income paid in taxes increases as income increases23
8445494371Regressive TaxA tax whereby people with lower incomes pay a higher fraction of their income than people with higher incomes.24
8445494372Proportional TaxA tax in which the average tax rate is the same at all income levels.25
8445494373Excise TaxA tax levied on a particular good or service - federal excise tax on gasoline.26
8445494374Average Tax RateTotal taxes paid divided by total income27
8445494376Marginal Tax RateThe rate at which the tax is paid on each additional unit on taxable income28
8445494377Tax IncidenceThe actual division of the burden of a tax between buyers and sellers in a market.29
8445494378Deadweight LossThe decrease in total surplus that results from an inefficient underproduction or overproduction.30
8445494379Lump Sum Taxa tax that is a constant amount (the tax revenue of government is the same) at all levels of GDP31
8445494380Per Unit Taxa tax of a specific amount on each unit of a product sold32
8445494381UtilityAbility or capacity of a good or service to be useful and give satisfaction to someone.33
8445494382Marginal Utility(economics) the amount that utility increases with an increase of one unit of an economic good or service34
8445494383Diminishing Marginal Utilitythe principle that our additional satisfaction, or our marginal utility, tends to go down as more and more units are consumed35
8445494384Marginal Utility per Dollarthe marginal utility from a good that results from spending one more dollar on it36
8445494385Optimal Consumptionthe consumption bundle that maximizes the consumer's total utility given his or her budget constraint37
8445494386Explicit CostInput costs that require an outlay of money by the firm (e.g. rent). Money that actually leaves a firm in the productive process.38
8445494387Implicit CostInput costs that do not require an outlay of money by the firm (e.g. interest forgone on money used). The opportunity costs associated with a firm's use of resources that it owns.39
8445494388Accounting ProfitA firm's total revenue minus its explicit costs40
8445494389Economic ProfitTotal revenue minus total cost, including both explicit and implicit costs41
8445494390Normal ProfitAnother way of saying that firms are earning zero economic profits or a fair rate of return on invested resources42
8445494391Marginal AnalysisAnalysis that involves comparing marginal benefits and marginal costs.43
8445494392Marginal RevenueChange in revenue resulting from a one-unit increase in output44
8445494393Optimal Output Ruleprofit is maximized by producing the quantity of output at which the marginal revenue of the last unit produced is equal to its marginal cost45
8445494395Marginal Cost Curvea graphical representation showing how the cost of producing one more unit depends on the quantity that has already been produced46
8445494396Marginal Revenue Curvea graphical representation showing how marginal revenue varies as output varies.47
8445494398Fixed Inputan input whose quantity is fixed for a period of time and cannot be varied48
8445494399Variable Inputan input whose quantity the firm can vary at any time49
8445494400Long runA period of sufficient time to alter all factors of production used in the productive process - all inputs can be changed.50
8445494401Short runA period during which at least one of a firm's resources is fixed51
8445494402Total Product Curveshows how the quantity of output depends on the quantity of the variable input, for a given quantity of the fixed input52
8445494403Marginal ProductExtra output due to the addition of one more unit of input53
8445494404Production FunctionThe relationship between quantity of inputs used to make a good and the quantity of output of that good54
8445494405Fixed CostCosts that do not vary with the quantity of output produced55
8445494406Variable CostCosts that vary with the quantity of output produced56
8445494407Total CostFixed Cost + Variable Cost57
8445494408Total Cost Curveshows how total cost depends on the quantity of output58
8445494409Marginal CostExtra cost of producing one additional unit of production.59
8445494410Average CostThe total cost divided by the quantity produced.60
8445494411Average Fixed CostFixed cost divided by the quantity of output61
8445494412Average Variable CostThe variable cost per unit produced62
8445494413U Shaped Total Cost Curve63
8445494414Minimum Efficiency Scalethe lowest level of output at which a firm can minimize long run ATC64
8445494415Long Run Average Total Cost CurveA curve that indicates the lowest average cost production at each rate output when size or scale of the firm varies. It is also called the planning curve.65
8445494417Increasing Returns to ScaleWhen long-run average total cost declines as output increases. Economies of scale outweigh diseconomies of scale66
8445494418Diseconomies of ScaleIncreases in the average total cost of producing a product as the firm expands the size of its plant (its output) in the long run.67
8445494419Decreasing Returns to Scalewhen long-run average total cost increases as output increases: diseconomies of scale outweigh economies of scale68
8445494420Constant Returns to ScaleA situation in which the long-run total cost increases proportionately with output, so average cost is constant69
8445494422Perfectly Competitive MarketA market that meets the conditions of (1) many buyers and sellers, (2) all firms selling identical products, and (3) no barriers to new firms entering the market.70
8445494423Market ShareA company's product sales as a percentage of total sales for that industry71
8445494424MonopolyA firm that is the sole seller of a product without close substitutes72
8445494425Monopsonista firm that has market power in the factor market, i.e., a wage-setter.73
8445494426Barrier of Entrysomething that prevents other firms from entering an industry. Crucial in protecting the profits of a monopolist. There are four types of barriers to entry: control over scarce resources or inputs, increasing returns to scale, technological superiority, and government-created barriers such as licenses.74
8445494427Natural MonopolyA monopoly that arises because a single firm can supply a good or service to an entire market at a smaller cost than could two or more firms75
8445494428Economies of ScaleFactors that cause a producer's average cost per unit to fall as output rises76
8445494429PatentA document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention77
8445494430Copyrighta document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work78
8445494431Imperfectly Competitive Marketmarkets where individual buyers or sellers can control or influence the price79
8445494432OligopolyA market in which control over the supply of a commodity is in the hands of a small number of producers and each one can influence prices and affect competitors. A market structure in which a few large firms dominate a market.80
8445494433Concentration RatioThe percentage of industry sales (or assets, output, labor force, or some other factor) accounted for by x number of firms in the industry.81
8445494434Monopolistic CompetitionA market structure in which barriers to entry are low and many firms compete by selling similar, but not identical, products.82
8445494435Profit Maximizing OutputMR=MC83
8445494436Break Even PriceThe price at which economic profit is zero; price equals average total cost84
8445494437Shut Down Pricethe price where average revenue is equal to average variable cost. Below this price, the firm will shut down in the short run85
8445494438Short Run Industry Supply Curvea curve that shows the quantity a firm supplies at each price in the short run; in perfect competition, that portion of a firm's marginal cost curve that intersects and rise above the low point on its average variable cost curve86
8445494439Long Run Industry Supply Curvea curve that shows how the quantity supplied by an industry varies as the market price varies after all the possible adjustments have been made, including changes in plant size and the number of firms in the industry87
8445494440P = MCAllocative efficiency88
8445494441Price Discriminationthe business practice of selling the same good at different prices to different customers89
8445494442Perfect Price DiscriminationOccurs when a firm charges the maximum amount that buyers are willing to pay for each unit.90
8445494443DuopolyExists when two companies dominate a market.91
8445494444CollusionAn agreement among firms to divide the market, set prices, or limit production92
8445494445CartelA group of firms that collude by agreeing to restrict output to increase prices and profits.93
8445494446Game TheoryAn approach to evaluating alternative strategies in situations where the outcome of a particular strategy depends on the strategies used by other individuals.94
8445494447Prisoners DilemnaA model used to help show how two interdependent firms may rationally produce where both firms are worse off if collusion does not take place95
8445494448Dominant StrategyA strategy that is best for a player in a game regardless of the strategies chosen by the other players96
8445494449Nash EquilibriumA situation in which economic actors interacting with one another each choose their best strategy given the strategies that all the other actors have chosen97
8445494450Tacit Collusionwhen firms limit production and raise prices in a way that raises each others' profits, even though they have not made any formal agreement98
8445494451Antitrust LawsLaws designed to promote competition and fairness to prevent monopolies99
8445494452Price LeadershipThe strategy by which one or more dominant firms set the pricing practices that all competitors in an industry follow.100
8445494453Excess CapacityThe difference between the monopolistic competition output Qmc and the output at minimum ATC. Excess capacity is underused plant and equipment101
8445494454Physical CapitalMan-made factors of production such as machinery, factories, roads, etc.102
8445494455Human CapitalAn organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight.103
8445494456Derived DemandBusiness demand that ultimately comes from the demand for consumer goods104
8445494457Factor Distribution of Incomethe division of total income among labor, land, and capital105
8445494459Diminishing Marginal ProductA level of production in which the marginal product of labor decreases as the number of workers increases; (Gets less additional usefulness)106
8445494460Value of the Marginal Productthe marginal product of an input times the price of the output107
8445494461Marginal Productivity Theory of Income DistributionFirms in competitive or perfect product and factor markets pay factors their marginal revenue products.108
8445494462MRPLP*MPL; value firm places on marginal worker; demand curve for labor109
8445494463MFCLFor a competitive labor market, what is the firms MFC of an additional unit of labor?110
8445494464Cost Minimizing RuleMarginal product per dollar spent on each factor is the same.111
8445494465Efficiency Wagesabove-equilibrium wages paid by firms to increase worker productivity112
8445494466Marginal Social CostThe extra cost to society of producing an additional unit of output, including both the private cost and the external costs.113
8445494467Marginal Social BenefitThe extra benefit or utility to society of consuming an additional unit of output, including both the private benefit and the external benefits.114
8445494468Negative Externalitiesa cost imposed without compensation on third parties by the production or consumption of sellers or buyers. Example: a manufacturer dumps toxic chemicals into a river, killing the fish sought by sports fishers; an external cost or a spillover cost115
8445494469Positive Externalitiesa benefit obtained without compensation by third parties from the production or consumption of sellers or buyers. Example: A beekeeper benefits when a neighboring farmer plants clover. An external benefit or a spillover benefit.116
8445494471Internalizing the Externalityaltering incentives so that people take account of the external effects of their actions117
8445494476Excludablethe property of a good whereby a person can be prevented from using it118
8445494477RivalA good is this if one person's use of it decreases the quantity available for someone else.119
8445494478Private GoodGoods that are both excludable and rival in consumption120
8445494479Public GoodGoods that are neither excludable nor rival in consumption121
8445494480Common ResourceGoods that are rival in consumption but not excludable122
8445494481Artifically Scarce GoodsA good that is excludable but nonrival in consumption.123
8445494487Marginal Cost PricingA system of pricing in which the price charged is equal to the opportunity cost to society of producing one more unit of the good or service in question. The opportunity cost is the marginal cost to society.124
8445494488Average Cost Pricingsetting price equal to average total cost125
8445494489Lorenz CurveGraph showing how much the actual distribution of income differs from an equal distribution126
8445494490Gini CoefficientA measure of income inequality within a population, ranging from zero for complete equality, to one if one person has all the income.127
8445494491Negative Income Taxa tax system that collects revenue from high-income households and gives subsidies to low-income households128

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