ECON Ch. 30 True/False – Flashcards

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question
Expansionary fiscal policy is so-named because it involves an expansion of the nation's money supply
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False
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Fiscal policy is complicated by political considerations and political motivations.
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True
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As measured by the standardized budget, the U.S. government engaged in a contractionary fiscal policy in 2002 and 2003.
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True
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Built-in stability is synonymous with discretionary fiscal policy
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False
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An increase in the cyclical deficits will automatically increase the standardized budget deficit
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False
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The additional taxes needed to pay the interest on the public debt reduce incentives to work, save, invest, and bear risks
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True
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A decrease in government spending is one of the options that can be used to pursue a contractionary fiscal policy
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True
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The crowding-out effect occurs when an expansionary fiscal policy increases the interest rate, decreases investment spending, and weakens fiscal policy
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True
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A contractionary fiscal policy shifts the aggregate demand curve leftward
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True
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Fiscal policy is mainly undertaken by the Federal Reserve
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False
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The payment of interest on the public debt probably decreases income inequality
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False
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Financing wartime expenditures by increasing internally held public debt permits a nation to defer a part of the economic cost of war
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False
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Tax increases and government spending cuts by state governments during recessions often reduce the expansionary impact of fiscal policy by the Federal government
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True
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Tax revenues automatically increase during economic expansions and decrease during recessions
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True
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Permanent tax reductions are more likely to be expansionary than temporary tax reductions
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True
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Expansionary fiscal policy during a recession means cutting taxes, increasing government spending, or taking both actions
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True
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Between 1994 and 2000, annual budget deficits gave way to annual budget surpluses
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True
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Demand-pull inflation can be restrained by increasing government spending and reducing taxes
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False
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If taxation becomes more progressive, the built-in stability in the economy will increase
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True
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The concept of a "political business cycle" suggests that a possible cause of macroeconomic instability is due to the use of fiscal policy for political purposes
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True
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The crowding-out effect of the public debt may be dampened if the investment-demand curve is shifting to the right
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True
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The per capita public debt doubled between 1990 and 2000
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False
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The public debt is the accumulation of all deficits and surpluses that have occurred through time
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True
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The public debt is held as Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury bonds, and U.S. savings bonds
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True
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The actual and standardized budgets will be equal when the economy is at full employment
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True
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The crowding-out effect refers to the possibility that deficit spending may motivate people to increase their saving in anticipation of higher future taxes
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False
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If the MPC in the economy is .75, government could shift the aggregate demand curve rightward by $30 billion by cutting taxes by $10 billion
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True
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Half of the public debt is owned by foreign individuals and institutions
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False
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The public debt as a percent of GDP is lower in the United States than in many other industrial nations
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True
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If government spending that gives rise to a budget deficit is for public investment projects, such as highways, then this spending can increase the economy's future production capacity
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True
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A decrease in government spending and taxes would be an example of fiscal policies that reinforce each other
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False
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An increase in taxes would be an expansionary fiscal policy
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False
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The financing of the public debt can increase interest rates and reduce private investment spending
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True
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Built-in stability refers to the fact that net tax revenues vary inversely with the level of GDP
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False
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The Council of Economic Advisors was established to give economic advice and assistance to the U.S. President
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True
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If there is a Federal budget surplus, then government revenues are greater than its expenditures
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True
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A large public debt will not bankrupt the Federal government because it can refinance the debt or increase taxes to pay it
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True
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State and local governments' fiscal policies typically reinforce the fiscal policy of the Federal government to counter recession and inflation
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False
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Discretionary fiscal policy is independent of Congress and based on the progressivity of the tax system
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False
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It is more meaningful economically to measure the public debt relative to the GDP than to measure it in absolute terms
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True
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The operational lag of fiscal policy refers to the time that elapses between the beginning of a recession or inflation and the certain awareness that it is actually happening
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False
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An increase in taxes and a decrease in government spending would be characteristic of a contractionary fiscal policy
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True
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Most of the public debt can be considered a public credit
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True
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The standardized budget measures what the Federal budget deficit or surplus would be at full employment output with existing tax and spending decisions
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True
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