AP Macroeconomics Final Exam – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Goods
answer
Items purchased to satisfy needs and wants
question
Services
answer
Activities performed by people, firms or government agencies to satisfy economic wants.
question
Capital
answer
An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
question
Entrepreneurship
answer
the process of starting, organizing, managing, and assuming the responsibility for a business
question
Scarcity
answer
A situation in which unlimited wants exceed the limited resources available to fulfill those wants
question
Economics
answer
The study of choices leading to the best possible use of scarce resources in order to best satisfy the unlimited human needs and wants.
question
Rationing Device
answer
A means for deciding who gets what portion of the available resources and goods.
question
Opportunity Cost
answer
Cost of the next best alternative use of money, time, or resources when one choice is made rather than another
question
Marginal Benefits
answer
Additional benefits; the benefits connected with consuming an additional unit of a good or undertaking one more unit of an activity.
question
Marginal Costs
answer
the change in total cost due to a one-unit increasing the variable input; the cost of using more of a factor of production.
question
Efficiency
answer
A measure of how well or how productively resources are used to achieve a goal
question
Exchange
answer
The act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return.
question
Positive Economics
answer
An approach to economics that seeks to understand behavior and the operation of systems without making judgments. It describes what exists and how it works.
question
Normative Economics
answer
The body of economics based on normative statements, which involve beliefs, or value judgements about what ought to be. Normative statements cannot be true or false; they can only be assessed relative to beliefs and value judgements. Normative economics forms the basis of economic policies.
question
Microeconomics
answer
The study of how households and firms make choices, how they interact in markets, and how the government attempts to influence their choices.
question
Macroeconomics
answer
Deals with the economy as a whole. Macroeconomics focuses on the determinants of total national income, deals with aggregates such as aggregate consumption and investment, and looks at the overall level of prices instead of individual prices.
question
Production Possibilities Curve
answer
All possible combination of the maximum amounts of two goods that can be produced by an economy, given fixed and unchanging resources and technology.
question
Law of Increasing Opportunity Costs
answer
As more of a particular product is produced, the opportunity cost, in terms of what must be given up of other goods to produce each unit of the product, increases. Explains the convex shape of a nation's production possibilities curve.
question
Productive Efficiency
answer
Production of maximum output for a given level of technology and resources. All points on the PPF are productively efficient
question
Productive Inefficiency
answer
The condition where less than the maximum output is produced with the given resources and technology. Productive inefficiency implies that more of one good can be produced without any less of another being produced.
question
Terms of Trade
answer
The rate at which units of one product can be exchanged for units of another product; the price of a good or service; the amount of one good or service that must be given up to obtain 1 unit of another good or service
question
Comparative Advantage
answer
The ability of an individual, firm, or country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other producers.
question
Absolute Advantage
answer
the ability of an individual or group to carry out a particular economic activity more efficiently than another individual or group.
question
Demand
answer
The desire, willingness, and ability to buy a good or service
question
Law of Demand
answer
A law stating that there is a negative causal relationship between the price of a good and quantity of the good demanded, over a particular time.
question
Ceteris Paribus
answer
a Latin phrase that means "all other things held constant"
question
Absolute Price
answer
the price of a good or service denominated in a currency. It's the money cost of a product.
question
Relative Price
answer
The price of a specific good or service in comparison to the prices of other goods and services.
question
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
answer
the principle that consumers experience diminishing additional satisfaction as they consume more of a good or service during a given period of time
question
Normal Good
answer
a good for which, other things equal, an increase in income leads to an increase in demand
question
Inferior Good
answer
a good for which, other things equal, an increase in income leads to a decrease in demand
question
Supply
answer
A stock of a resource from which a person or place can be provided with the necessary amount of that resource.
question
Law of Supply
answer
As a price increases the quantity of the good provided increases, as the price of a good decreases, the number provided decreases.
question
Subsidy
answer
A government payment that supports a business or market
question
Surplus
answer
A situation in which the quantity supplied is greater than the quantity demanded
question
Shortage
answer
A situation in which quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied
question
Equilibrium Price
answer
the price at which the amount producers are willing to supply is equal to the amount consumers are willing to buy
question
Equilibrium Quantity
answer
the amount of output that results in no shortage or surplus, the amount of goods and service bought and sold in the economy
question
Disequilibrium
answer
any price or quantity not at equilibrium; when quantity supplied is not equal to quantity demanded in a market
question
Consumers' Surplus
answer
Value to buyers - Amount paid by buyers
question
Producers' Surplus
answer
The difference between the price sellers receive for a good and minimum price they would sell the good
question
Total Surplus
answer
Consumer Surplus + Producer Surplus
question
Price Ceiling
answer
A legal maximum on the price at which a good can be sold
question
Price Floor
answer
A legal minimum on the price at which a good can be sold
question
Real GDP
answer
the total value of all final goods and services produced in the economy during a given year, calculated using the prices of a selected base year
question
Fiscal Policy
answer
Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.
question
Monetary Policy
answer
Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.
question
Price Level
answer
A measure of the average prices of goods and services in the economy
question
Price Index
answer
An index that traces the relative changes in the price of an individual good (or a market basket of goods) over time
question
Consumer Price Index
answer
Shows changes in the average prices of goods and services purchased by consumers over a period of time
question
Base Year
answer
A Base Year is the year used for comparison for the level of a particular economic index.
question
Inflation
answer
A rise in the general price level (and decrease in dollar value) owing to an increase in the volume of money and credit in relation to available goods.
question
Real Income
answer
Income measured in terms of the goods and services it can buy; real income changes when the price changes
question
Nominal Income
answer
The amount of money income received in a given time period, measured in current dollars.
question
Unemployment Rate
answer
Measures the number of people who are able to work, but do not have a job during a period of time.
question
Employment Rate
answer
The percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population that is employed: (Employment rate = Number of employed persons/Civilian noninstitutional population.)
question
Labor Force Participation Rate
answer
The percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population that is in the civilian labor force: Labor force participation rate = Civilian labor force/Civilian noninstitutional population.
question
Frictional unemployment
answer
A type of unemployment caused by workers voluntarily changing jobs and by temporary layoffs; unemployed workers between jobs.
question
Structural Unemployment
answer
A type of unemployment that occurs as a result of technological changes and changing patterns of demand, as well as geographical changes, and labor market rigidities.
question
Cyclical Unemployment
answer
Unemployment that rises during economic downturns and falls when the economy improves. Getting laid off due to a recession is the classic case of this.
question
Full Employment
answer
Refers to maximum use of all resources in the economy to produce the maximum quantity of goods and services that the economy is capable of producing, implying zero unemployment.
question
Natural Unemployment
answer
Unemployment resulting from a situation where there is no cyclical unemployment, only structural, frictional and seasonal. It is seen as the rate of full employment where demand for labor equals the supply of labor. Any increase in AD will only cause inflation
question
Gross Domestic Product
answer
The total value of goods and services produced within the borders of a country during a specific time period, usually one year.
question
Final Good
answer
goods and services that have been purchased for final use and not for resale or further processing or manufacturing
question
Intermediate Good
answer
nonfinal goods; those that someone purchased either to resell immediately or to incorporate into other goods
question
Double Counting
answer
the mistake of including the value of intermediate stages of production in GDP on top of the value of the final good
question
Value Added
answer
The difference between the price of the final product and the cost of raw materials, labor, and other inputs.
question
Transfer Payment
answer
Benefits given by the government directly to individuals. Transfer payments may be either cash transfers, such as Social Security payments and retirement payments to former government employees, or in-kind transfers, such as food stamps and low-interest loans for college education.
question
Consumption
answer
(economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing
question
Investment
answer
the act of redirecting resources from being consumed today so that they may create benefits in the future; the use of assets to earn income or profit
question
Inventory Investment
answer
goods that businesses put aside in storage, including materials and supplies, work in process, and finished goods
question
Fixed Investment
answer
Business purchases of capital goods, such as machinery and factories, and purchases of new residential housing.
question
Government Purchases
answer
Spending by federal, state, and local governments on goods and services.
question
Government Transfer Payments
answer
Transfer payments are made by the U.S. Federal Government to individuals through programs such as Social Security, Welfare and Veteran's benefits.
question
Imports
answer
Goods and services bought domestically but produced in other countries
question
Exports
answer
Goods and Services sold to other countries
question
Net Exports
answer
spending on domestically produced goods by foreigners (exports) minus spending on foreign goods by domestic residents (imports)
question
National Income
answer
The total income of an economy, often used interchangeable with the value of aggregate output.
question
Net Domestic Product
answer
the value of a nation's total output (GDP) minus the total value lost through depreciation on machines and equipment
question
Personal Income
answer
Salaries and wages as well as investment income and government payments to individuals
question
Disposable Income
answer
Income remaining for a person to spend or save after all taxes have been paid
question
Economic Growth
answer
steady growth in the productive capacity of the economy (and so a growth of national income)
question
Business Cycle
answer
Fluctuations in economic activity, such as employment and production
question
Aggregate Demand
answer
The total quantity of goods and services that all buyers in an economy (Consumers, Firms, the Government, and Foreigners) want to buy over a particular time period, at different possible price levels.
question
Aggregate Demand Curve
answer
The curve that shows that relationship between total quantity of goods and services that all buyers in an economy want to buy over a particular time period.
question
Purchasing Power
answer
the ability to purchase goods and services, a comparison of income versus the relative cost of a set standard of goods and services in different geographic areas
question
Interest Rate Effect
answer
The changes in household and business buying as the interest rate changes (in turn, a reflection of a change in the demand for or supply of credit brought on by price level changes).
question
Exchange Rate
answer
The rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another, or the number of units of foreign currency that corresponds to the domestic currency.
question
Appreciation
answer
an increase in the value of a currency as measured by the amount of foreign currency it can buy
question
Depreciation
answer
Any decrease or loss in value caused by age, wear, or market conditions
question
Aggregate Supply
answer
the total amount of goods and services in the economy available at all possible price levels
question
Short Run Aggregate Supply Curve
answer
a curve that shows the relationship between price level and rGDP produced by firms when wage costs are fixed
question
Long Run Aggregate Supply Curve
answer
is the relationship between Real GDP and the Price Level at full employment. Unemployment is at its natural rate.
question
Say's Law
answer
supply creates its own demand. "Adam smith of France" . savings is essential for investment and hence for economic growth-> not spending is okay. production is the driver and supply ( output/production )will only happen if theres a demand ( spending/expenditure)
question
Recessionary Gap
answer
A situation where real GDP is less than potential GDP, and unemployment is greater than the natural rate of unemployment.
question
Inflationary Gap
answer
A situation where real GDP is greater than potential GDP, and unemployment is lower than the natural rate of unemployment.
question
Laissez-Faire
answer
Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.
question
Marginal Propensity to Consume
answer
The fraction of a change in disposable income that is spent on consumption - the change in consumption expenditure divided by the change in disposable income that brought it about.
question
Autonomous Consumption
answer
the level of consumption which does not depend on income (the argument is that even with zero income you still need to buy enough food to eat, through borrowing or running down savings)
question
Marginal Propensity to Save
answer
The fraction of a change in disposable income that is spent on consumption - the change in consumption expenditure divided by the change in disposable income that brought it about.
question
Money Multiplier
answer
The amount of money the banking system generates with each dollar of reserves, the multiple by which deposits can increase for every dollar increase in reserves; equal to 1 divided by the required reserve ratio.
question
Medium of Exchange
answer
anything that is used to determine value during the exchange of goods and services
question
Unit of Account
answer
a standard unit in which prices can be quoted and values of goods can be compared
question
Store of Value
answer
an item that people can use to transfer purchasing power from the present to the future
question
M1 Money
answer
Supply of the most immediate form of money. Includes currency, demand deposits, and travelers checks.
question
Federal Reserve Notes
answer
paper currency issued by the Fed that eventually replaced all other types of federal currency
question
Checkable Deposits
answer
deposits in bank accounts from which depositors may make withdrawals by writing checks
question
M2 Money
answer
a measure of the money supply: it consists of M1 plus other relatively liquid assets(savings accounts, small time deposit accounts, market deposit accounts)
question
M3 Money
answer
consists of M1, M2 and other certain financial assets (long term deposits, commercial paper, bankers' acceptances, etc)
question
Savings Deposit
answer
an interest-earning account at a commercial bank or thrift institution; normally, checks cannot be written on savings deposits, and the funds in a savings deposit can be withdrawn at any time without a penalty payment
question
Money Market Deposit Account
answer
account that pays relatively high rates of interest, requires a minimum balance, and allows immediate access to funds
question
Time Deposit
answer
A savings plan with a set length of time that money must be kept in the account with a penalty for withdrawing early
question
Money Market Mutual Fund
answer
a fund that pools money from small savers to purchase short-term government and corporate securities
question
Fractional Reserve Banking
answer
system in which only a fraction of the deposits in a bank is kept on hand, or in reserve; the remainder is available to lend
question
Federal Reserve System
answer
The country's central banking system, which is responsible for the nation's monetary policy by regulating the supply of money and interest rates
question
Required Reserve Ratio
answer
The percentage of its total deposits that a bank must keep as reserves at the Federal Reserve.
question
Required Reserves
answer
reserves that a bank is legally required to hold, based on its checking account deposits
question
Excess Reserves
answer
reserves that banks hold over and above the legal requirement
question
T-Account
answer
Is a tool for summarizing transaction effects for each account, determining balances, and drawing inferences about a company's activities.
question
Simple Deposit Multiplier
answer
the ratio of the amount of deposits created by banks to the amount of new reserves
question
Cash Leakage
answer
occurs when funds are held as currency instead of deposited into a checking account
question
Equation of Exchange
answer
M X V = P X Q (the money supply times its velocity equals the price level times output)
question
Velocity of Money
answer
describing the number of times the typical dollar of M1 or M2 is used to make purchases during a year
question
Simple Quantity Theory of Money
answer
The theory assuming that velocity (V) and Real GDP (Q) are constant and predicting that changes in the money supply (M) lead to strictly proportional changes in the price level (P).
question
One-Shot Inflation
answer
Is a one time increase in the price level. It can come from the demand side of the economy, or the supply side. this inflation can be caused by an increase in AD or by a decrease in SRAS.
question
Continued Inflation
answer
If the price level increases at a high rate year after year. Continued inflation could be caused by continued decreases in SRAS. Continued inflation almost always caused by continued increased in AD. Continued increases in AD are caused by continued increases in money supply.
question
Liquidity Effect
answer
The change in the interest rate due to a change in the supply of loanable funds.
question
Income Effect
answer
A 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.
question
Price-Level Effect
answer
A rise in the price level causes the demand for the money at each interest rate to increase and the demand curve to shift to the right.
question
Expectations Effect
answer
perception and behavior changes as a result of personal experiences or the expectations of others
question
Nominal Interest Rate
answer
the interest rate as usually reported without a correction for the effects of inflation
question
Real Interest Rate
answer
the interest rate corrected for the effects of inflation
question
Demand for Money
answer
The quantities of money people are willing and able to hold at alternative interest rates, ceteri
question
Expansionary Monetary Policy
answer
Refers to monetary policy usually pursued in a recession, involving a decrease in interest rates, intended to increase investment and consumption spending.
question
Contractionary Monetary Policy
answer
A monetary policy usually pursued in an inflationary period. It involves increasing the interest rate (to lower investment and consumption spending).
question
Phillips Curve
answer
indicates a short-run inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment rates
question
Stagflation
answer
a period of slow economic growth and high unemployment (stagnation) while prices rise (inflation)
question
Adaptive Expectations
answer
expectations that individuals form from past experience and modify slowly as the present and the future become the past
question
Rational Expectations
answer
the idea that households and businesses will use all the information available to them when making economic decisions
question
Policy Ineffectiveness
answer
which says that if prices and wages are flexible and if people hold rational expectations, then any government policy to stimulate demand will have no impact on GDP unless the policy is unanticipated
question
Absolute Real Economic Growth
answer
An increase in Real GDP from one period to the next.
question
Per Capita Real Economic Growth
answer
an increase from one period to the next in per capita real gdp which is the real gdp divided population
question
Industrial Policy
answer
The strategies by which a government works actively with industries to promote their growth and tailor trade policy to their needs.
question
Balance of Payments
answer
an accounting of the funds that flow into and out of a country comprised of the capital account and the current account
question
Debit
answer
Any transaction that increases the assets of a firm or reduces liabilities.
question
Foreign Exchange Market
answer
system of financial institutions that facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies
question
Credit
answer
The ability of a customer to obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made in the future.
question
Current Account Balance
answer
the difference between the revenues earned from exports of goods and services and the expenditure on the imports of goods and services
question
Capital Account
answer
a portion of the balance of payments comprised of foreign purchases of U.S. assets minus U.S. purchases of foreign assets, plus the change in official reserves
question
Capital Account Balance
answer
includes foreign government and private investment in the US netted against US investment in foreign countries
question
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
answer
An international organization of 183 countries, established in 1947 with the goal of promoting cooperation and exchange between nations, and to aid the growth of international trade.
question
Globalization
answer
Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
question
Tariff
answer
A government tax on imports or exports
question
Closed Economy
answer
An economy that has no international trade. THIS DOES NOT REALLY EXIST IN THE REAL WORLD.
question
Open Economy
answer
An economy that has international trade: (imports and exports) usually appears in connection with economic theories and models as virtually all economies in the real world are open economies (though to varying degrees).
question
Stock
answer
the capital raised by a business or corporation through the issue and subscription of shares.
question
Dow Jones Industrial Average
answer
Measure based on the stock prices of 30 representation large firms trading on New York Stock Exchange
question
Investment Bank
answer
a bank that buys stocks and shares and then sells them to members of the public, and offers financial advice to businesses
question
Dividend
answer
A payment from profits by a company's Board of Director's to shareholders. (Dividends are issued on a regular basis and can be either increased or decreased).
question
Bond
answer
A financial security that represents a promise to repay a fixed amount of funds