Econ Notes - Principles of Microeconomics

[First week] [Required reading:] Principles of Microeconomics, 9th canadian edition Economics: Study of human behavior over scarce resources Economists study how people make decisions: ▪ How Much They Work\ ▪ What they buy\ ▪ How Much They Save ▪ How they invest their savings\ ▪ Economists study...

[First week] [Required reading:] Principles of Microeconomics, 9th canadian edition Economics: Study of human behavior over scarce resources Economists study how people make decisions: ▪ How Much They Work\ ▪ What they buy\ ▪ How Much They Save ▪ How they invest their savings\ ▪ Economists study how people interact ▪ How buyers and sellers together determine the price at which goods are sold and the quantity that is sold Economists Analyze Forces And Trends That Affect:\ ▪ The Economy\ ▪ The Growth In Average Income\ ▪ The fraction of the population that cannot find work ▪ The Rate At Which Prices Are Rising Principle 1-4: "How people make decisions" ========================================== Principle 1: ------------ **People face Tradeoffs** **Eg. Guns v.s Butter, must trade one for the other.** Key terms**:** **Efficiency**: Society getting the most it can from scarce resources **Equity**: Distributing economic prosperity fairly among members of society Efficiency vs Equity, there will be a tradeoff. Eg, If society tries it's best to get the most of its resources and you must distribute it in an equitable manner, there will be people who do less than others and get the same amount or even more than people who do more. More equity, less efficiency, and vice versa. Principle 2: ------------ **The Cost of Something is what you Give up to Get it** Key Terms: **Opportunity Cost:** Whatever must be given up to obtain some item. Cost of attending this lecture: Time, energy, tuition, even potential working hours at your job, potential enjoyment with others. Time taken can be used for many other things. Opportunity costs vary greatly on the person, and can be viewed subjectively. The next best alternative = Opportunity cost In terms of money, the term is **Accounting Cost.** This would be direct money costs like tuition, gas, transit fee, etc. Accounting and Opportunity cost are not always the same. Principle 3: ------------ **Rational People Think at the Margin** Key Terms: **Rational People:** Those who systematically and purposefully do the best they can to achieve their objectives. Differs from self interested. Objectives: Everyone has different objectives but the main objective is to **Maximize** utility (time, feeling, other's wellbeing) subject to **constraints** (time, money, energy). **Marginal Changes:** Small incremental adjustments to a plan of action. Little decisions to slightly benefit; a Rational person should only make a decision if **MB \> MC** Marginal cost vs. marginal benefits; when is the marginal cost no longer worth the marginal benefit. Principle 4: ------------ **People respond to Incentives** **Incentive:** Something that induces a person to act - - - - Economics: studying human behavior, most behavior is a reaction to incentive. Principle 5-7: "How People Interact" ==================================== Principle 5 ----------- **Trade can make everyone better off** Trade allows countries to specialize in what they do best so they can enjoy a variety of goods and services Trade between two countries can make each country better off - - 1. Markets, retail stores, malls, etc. 2. 3. 4. **Although trade is meant to benefit both countries**, why are countries like the US not trying to impose tariffs to prevent trade? - - - - Principle 6: ------------ **Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity** An economy that allocates resources through the decentralized decisions of many firms and households as they interact in markets for good and services **Free Market:** Creates competition for better quality, cost, etc. Maximize objectives subject to our constraints (doing the best with what we have) **Local information:** Can only be known by yourself. As long as we make the best choice for ourselves, then the overall economy should be efficient. Creates Incentive. In his 1776 book, Adam Smith observed that households and firms interacting in markets act as if they are guided by an **invisible hand** that leads them to desirable market outcomes. Principle 7: ------------ **Governments can sometimes improve market outcomes** We need governments for many reasons: - - - - - - - - **Market Failure:** a situation in which a market left on its own fails to allocate resources efficiently (Start of a monopoly) - **Market Power** - For each of the following situations, what is the government's role? Does the government's intervention improve the outcome? 1. 2. 3. 4. Principle 8-10: How the economy as a whole works ------------------------------------------------ Principle 8: ------------ **A country's standard of living depends on its ability to produce goods and services** **Productivity:** the quantity of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker's time Many factors can affect a country's productivity, social care services, natural services, culture, education, healthcare Principle 9: ------------ **Prices rise when the Government prints too much Money** Inflation: an increase in the overall level of prices in the economy What causes inflation? Principle 10: ------------- **Society faces a short-run Tradeoff between inflation and unemployment** This short-run tradeoff plays a key role in the analysis of the business cycle **Business Cycle:** the irregular and largely unpredictable fluctuations in economic activity, as measured by the production of goods and services or the number of people employed Chapter 2 ========= **Thinking like an economist** A scientific method 1. 2. 3. Economists do a similar job as a physicist, just different observations/data. - Model; a Fable/theory - - **Assumptions** - - Best model is the simplest one The best way to judge a model is based on how useful it is All models are wrong, but some are useful **The Circular Flow Diagram** 2 decision makers: Firms and households 2 markets: Factors of production and Good & Services **The production possibilities frontier** 1. 2. 3. Slope of PPF - - Macro vs Micro Economics ------------------------ **Micro:** the study of how households and firms make decisions and how they interact in markets **Macro:** the study of economy-wide phenomena, including inflation, unemployment, and economic growth When economists try to explain the world, they are **scientists** When they are trying to help improve it, they are **policy advisers** **Policy Advisor** Positive vs Normative analysis **Positive statements:** Claims that attempt to describe the world as it is (Economist) **Normative statements:** Claims that attempt to prescribe how the world should be (Policy advisor) Different value judgements **Economic Disagreements:** 2 basic reasons - - Economists recommendations are not always heeded by the government, as figuring out the right policy is only part of the job for the government. Chapter 3 ========= Midterm 1: Multi Choice and Short answer problems Chapter 1-3 **Interdependence and the gains from trade** 1 of the 10 principles in chapter 1, **Trade can make everyone better off** Sometimes we shouldn't assume that one country being specialized in one thing makes them better than their trading country at producing that one product **Parable** - - - - Lets say Ruby is able to produce more potatoes AND meat than frank. Minutes to produce 1kg Amount produced in 8 hrs ------- ------------------------ ---------- -------------------------- ---------- Meat Potatoes Meat Potatoes Frank 60min/kg 15min/kg 8kg 32kg Ruby 20min/kg 10min/kg 24kg 48kg Assumption: They only work 8h/day Scenario 1: Equally divide their time Frank: **4kg meat and 16kg potatoes** Ruby: **12kg meat and 24kg potatoes** Scenario 2: 1. 2. 3. In this case, Frank ends off with **5kg meat** and **17kg potatoes** and Ruby gets **13kg meat** and **27 kg potatoes** They both end off with more than if they focused on equally dividing their time to produce both meat and potatoes for themselves. Trade helped allow both of them to have more meat and potatoes. Win win. **Absolute Advantage:** the comparison among producers of a good according to their productivity **Comparative Advantage:** the comparison among producers of a good according to their opportunity cost **Frank's opportunity cost** for Producing meat: 4 potatoes Producing potatoes: ¼ meat **Ruby\'s opportunity cost** for Producing meat: 2 potatoes Producing potatoes: ½ meat There always should be 1 field you are relatively better at The reason **3 potatoes for 1 meat** benefits all is because Frank's opportunity cost for 1 meat is 4 potatoes, and Ruby's opportunity cost for 1 meat is 2 potatoes. Frank gets a better deal trading with ruby, and ruby gets more potatoes for meat. **Production Possibilities Frontier** shows the various mixes of output that an economy can produce. The opportunity cost for meat and potatoes are inversely proportional to eachother for frank and ruby, so there is always a benefit from trade **Import:** goods and services produced abroad and sold domestically **Export:** goods and services produced domestically and sold abroad. The principle of comparative advantage states that each good should be produced by the country with the lowest opportunity cost