DOC PREVIEW
Pitt ECON 0100 - The Economic Problem
Type Lecture Note
Pages 3

This preview shows page 1 out of 3 pages.

Save
View full document
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 3 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 3 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience

Unformatted text preview:

ECON 100 1st Edition Lecture 4Outline of Last Lecture I. Four Topics That Illustrate Tension Between Self- and Social-InterestA. GlobalizationB. Information Age MonopoliesC. Climate Change D. Economic InstabilityII. 6 Key Ideas Define The Economic Way of ThinkingIII. Economics As a Social ScienceA. Economic ModelsIV. Economics As a Policy ToolOutline of Current Lecture I. Production Possibilities Frontier A. Production Efficiency B. Trade-off Along PPF1. Marginal Cost vs. Marginal BenefitII. Marginal Benefit CurveA. Production EfficiencyB. Allocative EfficiencyIII. Economic GrowthA. Technological Change vs. Capital AccumulationB. Opportunity CostC. Trade1. Comparative Advantage2. Absolute Advantage Current Lecture- If we want to increase production of one good, we must decrease production of something else  trade-off- Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF): the boundary between those combinations of goods and services that can be produced and those that cannot To illustrate PPF focus on 2 goods at a time, hold quantities of all other goods constant (model economy) (ceteris paribus) Illustrates scarcity because points outside the frontier are unattainable Points inside the frontier are attainable but inefficientThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Production Efficiency – we cannot produce more of one good without producing less of another good We produce goods at lowest possible cost Occurs at all points on the PPF - Production inside the PPF  inefficient Resources are unused (idle but could be working) Resources are misallocated (assigned to tasks for which they are not the best match) - Trade-off along the PPF  Opportunity cost is a ratio (decrease of one good/increase of other good)- PPF bows outward because resources are not equally productive in all activities  As the quantity produced of each good increases, so does its opportunity cost Best point on the PPF = where goods/services are produced in the quantities that provide the greatest possible benefit and at the lowest possible cost  allocative efficiency- Marginal cost calculated from slope of PPF  Steeper slope = higher marginal cost- Marginal benefit from a good/service = benefit received from consuming one more unit of it This benefit is subjective – based on preferences Measured by how much someone is willing to pay for an additional unit- To describe preferences, economists use the concepts of marginal benefit and marginal benefit curve- Marginal benefit curve shows relationship between the marginal benefit from a goodand the quantity consumed of that good (unrelated to PPF)- The principle of decreasing marginal benefit – the more we have of a good the small is its marginal benefit - Production efficiency  we cannot produce more of any one good without giving up some other good - Producing at a point on the PPF- Allocative Efficiency  we cannot produce more of any one good without giving up some other good that we value more highly- Producing at the point on the PPF that we prefer above all others- Marginal benefit = marginal cost - Economic Growth- The expansion of production possibilities- Increases our standard of living- Two key factors  Technological change – development of new goods and of better ways of producing goods and services Capital Accumulation – growth of capital resources, which includes human capital- The opportunity cost To use resources in research and development and to produce new capital, we must decrease our production of consumption goods/services Economic growth is not free  results in less current consumption An investment –shifts PPF outward in the future- Trade  Comparative Advantage – person can perform an activity at a lower opportunity cost than anyone else; compare opportunity costs Absolute Advantage – person is more productive than others; compare productivities (production per hour)  Specialization – producing only one good or a few goods and trading with others to obtain what you do not


View Full Document

Pitt ECON 0100 - The Economic Problem

Download The Economic Problem
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view The Economic Problem and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view The Economic Problem 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?