economics

Module 16: Income and Expenditure -The nature of the multiplier, which shows how initial changes in spending lead to further changes -The meaning of the aggregate consumption function, which shows how current disposable income affects consumer spending -How expected future income and aggregate wealth affect consumer spending -The determinants of investment spending -Why investment spending is considered a leading indicator of the future state of the economy ? Assumptions: 1. We assume producers are willing to supply additional output at a fixed price causing changes in overall spending translate into changes in aggregate output 2. We take the interest rate as given 3. We assume that there is no government spending and no taxes

Chapter 14: Inflation: An Overview ? -The economic costs of inflation -How inflation creates winners and losers -Why policy makers try to maintain a stable rate of inflation -The difference between real and nominal values of income, wages, and interest rates -The problems of deflation and disinflation ? Inflation: Most common complaint: an increase in the price level makes everyone poorer- does not make everyone poorer Real Wage: the wage rate divided by the price level Real income: income divided by the price level Inflation Rate: the percent change per year in a price index?typically the consumer price index the percent increase in the overall level of prices per year ? ? The level of prices doesn?t matter Reducing prices = Reducing income

Chapter 12: The Meaning and Calculation of Unemployment ? -How unemployment is measured -How the unemployment rate is calculated -The significance of the unemployment rate for the economy -The relationship between the unemployment rate and economic growth ? Employed: people who currently hold a job in the economy, either full time or part time/ only if you have a job Unemployed: people who are actively looking for work but aren?t currently employed Limitations: Retired people Disabled Hasn?t actively searched for a Job in the last 4 weeks Discouraged workers Marginally attached workers Underemployed U.S. Census Bureau monthly survey called the Current Population Survey: interviewing a random sample of 60,000 American families

Chapter 15: The Measurement and Calculation of Inflation ? -How the inflation rate is measured -What a price index is and how it is calculated -The importance of the consumer price index and other price indexes ? Aggregate Price Level: a measure of the overall level of prices in the economy/single number to represent the overall level of prices Market Basket: a hypothetical set of consumer purchases of goods and services/Hypothetical Consumption bundle Consumption bundle: the typical basket of goods and services purchased before the price changes Price index: measure of the cost of purchasing a given market basket in a given year Base year: always results in a price index of 100 Price indexes are also the basis for measuring inflation

Chapter 13: The Causes and Categories of Unemployment ? -The three different types of unemployment and their causes -The factors that determine the natural rate of unemployment ? 1. Frictional Unemployment: unemployment due to the time workers spend in job search Somewhat inevitable- frictional unemployment doesn?t mean that there is a surplus of labor Constant process of job creation and job destruction New workers are always entering the labor market Limited amount is relatively harmless and may be a good thing Short duration of unemployment Job search: Workers who spend time looking for employment/ if all workers and all jobs were alike job search wouldn?t be necessary 2. Structural Unemployment: