Explain the possible causes of inflation
Inflation in an economy is defined as the sustained increase in the general price level, resulting in a decrease in purchasing power of consumers and a fall in the value of money. Some inflation is vital for the macro economy in order to maintain adequate levels of economic growth, and since 1997, the UK government has recognised this fact by allowing The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee to target a rate of 2.0% over the past fifteen years or so. The measure currently used by EU countries, including Britain, is that of the CPI (Consumer Price Index). This takes a weighted, indexed mean of a basket of goods deemed to be most influential in current household spending across the country. Other measures include the RPI and RPIX (the RPI, excluding mortgage interest repayments, as these fluctuate too readily). The UK has preserved one of the lowest inflation rates among EU countries in recent years, due to a thorough understanding of the causes of inflation and the policies necessary to manage it. On a microeconomic level, inflation can arise from the domestic economy. For example, major energy providers may decide to put up prices in line with projections for the year ahead, or monopolistic supermarket chains could engage in pricing wars, often to the detriment of the consumer and the pocket inflation they experience. Government VAT increases to fund its budget deficit
Using an appropriate diagram explain how a government may attempt to close a deflationary gap.
Using an appropriate diagram explain how a government may attempt to close a deflationary gap. Inflation is a sustained general increase in the level of prices. The level of inflation may be 3% per annum, which means that $100 will buy 3% less goods next year than it does now. The opposite of inflation is deflation. This technically means that the price level, or the average prices of goods and services in an economy, is decreasing. In effect, this means that money is worth more over time. However, the word deflation has gained another meaning, and is more often used to describe a situation where an economy's output growth is slowing. A situation representing deflation can be drawn using the Keynesian 45? Line, which shows combinations of points where the two axes are equal. AD represents aggregate demand, which is the sum total of all demands in the economy at any given price. Real Y represents the real (adjusted for inflation) income of consumers. Keynesian 45? Diagram In this diagram, we can see that the level of aggregate demand is lower than the level of output at full employment, therefore the economy is overproducing and a decline in growth will occur. For example, say the level of current aggregate demand is $500, and aggregate demand at full employment is $600. This means that the value of the deflation is $100, that is, people are spending $100 dollars less than
Is the existence of a monopoly against The public interest?
Intro to Economic Analysis essay 2 Spring Term Alastair Snook Is the existence of a monopoly against The public interest? Using diagrams explain the conditions under which this might be true and also the conditions under which this may not be true. A monopoly is defined as the sole supplier of a good or service with no close substitutes in a given price range. A pure monopoly will therefore have a 100% market share i.e. the firm is the industry. They exist and can only remain as monopolies if there are high barriers to entry to the industry. In the case of a natural monopoly, economies of scale are so large that any new entrant would find it impossible to match the costs and prices of the established firm in the industry. Other barriers to entry include legal barriers such as patents, natural cost advantages such as ownership of all key sites in the industry, marketing barriers such as advertising, and restrictive practises designed to force any competition to leave the market. In this market structure it is also assumed profits are maximised and there is consumer rationality. Traditionally monopoly is thought to be a potentially harmful market structure with unwelcome consequences for the consumer and the economy. Competition has always therefore been seen to be desirable. It could be said therefore to be against the public interest. However there are
Examine the factors which affect the international competitiveness of the UK's goods and services (40 marks). International Competitiveness is the ability of a nation to compete successfully
Examine the factors which affect the international competitiveness of the UK's goods and services (40 marks). International Competitiveness is the ability of a nation to compete successfully internationally and sustain improvements in real output and wealth. The factors which affect the interantional competitiveness of the UK's goods and services are Price competitiveness and Non-Price Competitiveness; Price competitiveness such as inflation, exchange rates and unit labour costs and Non price competitiveness such as quality of UK's goods and Income Elasticity of Demand for UK's exports and imports. Inflation is an increase in the general level of prices of a given kind in a given currency. If the inflation rate for UK is high then UK's goods will be expensive, therefore UK will be less price competitive. If the UK goods are expensive as a result of higher inflation, then there will be less demand for UK's exports and increase in demand for Imports, which will result in a balance of payment deficit. So the inflation rate should be controlled in order to be price competitive. Many countries operate inflation target. The UK's inflation target is set for RPIX inflation at 2.5% plus 1% or minus 1%. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee sets interest rates with the objective to maintain stable or low level of inflation. However even if the inflation rate for UK is high,
The euro has many effects on businesses and the consumers not only within the Euro zone but also out of it. Firstly I will discuss the advantages of the single currency inside and outside of Europe.
THE SINGLE CURRENCY The euro has many effects on businesses and the consumers not only within the Euro zone but also out of it. Firstly I will discuss the advantages of the single currency inside and outside of Europe. The first advantage is cheaper transaction costs the single currency will allow countries in the euro zone to trade with each other without changing currencies. This will reduce (but not remove) the transaction costs. It will cost less for companies to make payments between countries within the euro zone. Firms in the euro zone will notice the greatest difference. However, businesses from outside the euro zone which trade with companies inside it will also notice the effects. Easier trading would mean that some countries can specialise in one good or service whilst other countries specialise in others. This would mean that there are more goods available to consumers at a lower price, and lower prices means people have more money to spend on other goods, so there will be a higher standard of living. Also, goods would be able to be transported for a cheaper price between participating countries. So by joining the European currency, there would be more trade available and therefore a wider choice of goods and services to choose from. Secondly there will be greater price transparency, the single currency will make price differences in different countries in the
The Economic Effects Of The Wars In Afghanistan and Iraq
Using an example of your choice, what light can the ideas and analysis of an economist throw on a major current problem or issue of public concern? The invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 have and will be in the news day after day, with growing casualties demoralising many nations around the world. Another major problem, especially significant for both the United States of America and the United Kingdom, is the momentous financial costs that are being experienced by the governments, and it is this issue that I shall investigate. I will also try to show how defence can be accounted for as market failure. Defence is a public good, provided for by the government, not private markets. To understand what a public good is, I must first introduce two characteristics of a public good. Firstly, a public good is non-rivalrous. This means that even if someone consumes or utilises this product, the supply for others will not be diminished. This is very relevant when it comes to defence as it is there to defend the whole of the country. Secondly, another characteristic of a public good is that it is non-excludable. Non-excludability is when the people that don't want to or can't pay for a product cannot be excluded form it as they are already using the product and its benefits. In the example of defence, if a certain person didn't want to get the benefits from defence it
Use the aggregate supply-aggregate demand (AS-AD) model to examine the effects on real GDP and the price level of increases in American tourism to the UK.
Hamit Keswani Keswani .)Distinguish between the short-run and long-run aggregate supply curves, and explain why they are important for the definition of a macroeconomic equilibrium. Use the aggregate supply-aggregate demand (AS-AD) model to examine the effects on real GDP and the price level of increases in American tourism to the UK. The aggregate supply and aggregate demand model helps building up our knowledge of the three factors of macroeconomic performance which are: explain fluctuations in economic activity and how economic agents respond to economic events, provides a basis for understanding movements in the price levels (inflation), and it also helps us understand the process of economic growth. Aggregate supply and aggregate demand are concepts that help us determine the real GDP and the price level (GDP deflator), other things remaining the same. The quantity of real GDP supplied (Y) depends on three important things: The quantity of labour (N), the quantity of capital (K), and the state of technology (T). In order to explain this better we have to study in depth the two aggregate-supply branches: long-run aggregate supply and short-run aggregate supply. The long-run aggregate supply curve is the "relationship between the quantity of real GDP supplied and the price level in the long run when real GDP equals potential GDP"( Parkin, 2000, page 465) . The
What is an international bank? How do international banks compete?
What is an international bank? How do international banks compete? The banking system became internationalised in the 1960s and since then it has been one of the most dramatic trends in the economy. The other two major trends in international and domestic banking are globalisation and securitisation. There are three definitions of an international bank according to Prof. Aliber. A bank may be said to be international if it uses branches or subsidiaries in foreign countries to conduct business. Secondly, a bank may be said to be international if it relates to the currency denomination of the loan or deposit independent of the location of the bank. And the last way of defining international banking is by the nationality of the customer and the bank. The definition for international banking includes location of parent banks and their banking facilities, residency of customers and currency denomination. The existence of international bank service activity is explained by the international trade theory. Banks engage in international banking activities because of the theory of comparative advantage. When a country produces a good or a service at its highest efficiency in that particular country it is said to have comparative advantage. The economic welfare of a country will therefore increases if that country will export its good or service in which it has comparative
income distribution
Explain Why the Distribution of Income is Unequal in the UK. Income is a flow of earnings generated and received over a given time period. It can be gained from employment, pension funds or ownership of wealth. Between 1979 and 1990, the UK economy experienced a marked increase in income inequality. However, since 1997 when labour came into power, their social reforms such as tax credits and national minimum wage has narrowed that gap slightly. Although the gap still exists from a series of factors. A rise in earnings inequality can cause income inequality. This is due to a fall in demand for unskilled and semi-skilled labour and a rise in demand for skilled labour because of deindustrialisation, where resources have been shifted from secondary to the tertiary and quaternary sectors, so thus, skilled labour is needed. In the UK this happened as we lost our wage and price competitiveness to developing countries, causing structural unemployment in the secondary sector industry. Therefore the income gap widens as skilled labour productivity widens, and thus, so do wages. Over the years there has also been a rise in workless households where there is no income earner and are thus living off welfare benefits. Unemployment of unskilled and semi-skilled labour and generally being unemployable has caused this. Another reason is due to the benefit culture where the income into the
How does level of aggregate demand affect level of unemployment
To what extent can government attempts to influence the level of aggregate demand affect the level of unemployment The government can attempt to influence the level of Aggregate demand through Fiscal policy and Monetary policy. If unemployment is relatively high then either interest rates can be lowered to expand demand (Monetary Policy) or, alternatively, the government could lower taxes and boost government spending (Fiscal policy). These measures should expand demand and lead to a fall in unemployment but the overall impact of both policies can be quiet different. Unemployment can be caused by both demand side and supply side factors. On the demand side unemployment is attributable to Demand Deficient Unemployment or Cyclical Unemployment. Here workers are unemployed simply because there is insufficient demand to provide them jobs. Clearly attempts by government to boost demand by either policy will lower this type of unemployment. However, supply side unemployment needs careful consideration. Supply side has several different causes such as frictional, structural and technological or real wage unemployment. Frictional is basically workers moving between jobs and is sometimes referred to as 'the oil that lubricates the labour market'. Although some economists may argue the fact generally frictional unemployment is unavoidable in a market economy. Structural is mismatch
