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Economics

Economics. “Econ, Econ”. Econ. Economics Activity. Kit-Kat scarcity. Introduction to Economics. I WON THE LOTTERY!. I’ll give you anything you want other than money. What do you want? Would your list ever end? Why not? Scarcity!!!. What is Economics?. choices.

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Economics

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  1. Economics “Econ, Econ” Econ

  2. Economics Activity • Kit-Kat scarcity

  3. Introduction to Economics I WON THE LOTTERY! I’ll give you anything you want other than money. What do you want? Would your list ever end? Why not? Scarcity!!!

  4. What is Economics? choices Economics is the study of _________. • Scarcity means that we have unlimited wants but limited resources. • Since we are unable to have everything we desire, we must make choices on how we will use our resources. In economics we will study the choices of individuals, firms, and governments.

  5. 5 Key Economic Assumptions • Society’s wants are unlimited, but ALL resources are limited (scarcity). • Due to scarcity, choices must be made. Every choice has a cost (a trade-off). • Everyone’s goal is to make choices that maximize their satisfaction. Everyone acts in their own “self-interest.” • Everyone makes decisions by comparing the marginal costs and marginal benefits of every choice. • Real-life situations can be explained and analyzed through simplified models and graphs.

  6. Marginal Analysis In economics the term marginal = additional “Thinking on the margin”, or MARGINAL ANALYSIS involves making decisions based on the additional benefit vs. the additional cost.

  7. Thinking at the Margin Would you see the movie three times? Notice that the total benefit is more than the total cost but you would NOT watch the movie the 3rd time.

  8. Scarcity

  9. Analyzing Choices

  10. Trade-offs and Opportunity Cost Trade-offs are all the alternatives that we give up whenever we choose one course of action over others.(Examples: going to the movies vs. Tucson/Park Place Mall, Reid Park Zoo, staying home, etc.) ALL decisions involve trade-offs. Opportunity cost- The most desirable alternative given up as a result of a decision is known as. GEICO assumes you understand opportunity cost. Why?

  11. Trade-offs and Opportunity Cost Example 1 • What are trade-offs of deciding to go to college? • What is your opportunity cost of going to college? Example 2 • What are trade-offs of deciding to playing a sport? • What is your opportunity cost of playing a sport?

  12. The 4 Factors of Production 12

  13. The Four Factors of Production • Producing goods and services requires the use of resources- DUH!. • ALL resources can be classified as one of the following four factors of production: Land Labor Capital Entrepreneurship 13

  14. The Factors of Production 14

  15. Economic Systems

  16. Scarcity Means There Is Not Enough For Everyone Government must step in to help allocate (distribute)resources

  17. Every society must answer three questions: The Three Economic Questions • What goods and services should be produced? • How should these goods and services be produced? • Who consumes these goods and services? The way these questions are answered determines the economic system An economic system is the method used by a society to produce and distribute goods and services.

  18. Economic Systems • Market economy – there is no government involvement in economic decisions • Command economy – a system in which a country’s government makes economic decisions and decides what, when and how much will be produced and distributed • Capitalism (Free Enterprise) – a political and economic philosophy characterized by marketplace competition and private ownership of businesses • Communism - a social, political, and economic philosophy in which the government controls the factors of production • Socialism – a term that originally referred to a system on its way to the communist ideal of a classless society (government tries to spread the wealth)

  19. Command Economies (aka Communism)

  20. Communism In communism the government… • owns all the resources. • answers the three economic questions Examples: Cuba, North Korea, former Soviet Union, and China? Why do centrally planned economies face problems of poor-quality goods, shortages, and unhappy citizens? NO PROFIT MEANS NO INCENTIVE TO WORK HARDER!!

  21. Advantages and Disadvantages What is GOOD about Communism? What is BAD about Communism? • Low unemployment-everyone has a job • Great Job Security-the government doesn’t go out of business • Equal incomes means no extremely poor people • Free Health Care • No incentive to work harder • No incentive to innovate or come up with good ideas • No Competition keeps quality of goods poor. • Corrupt leaders • Few individual freedoms

  22. Example of Communism • Example of why communism failed: • If consumers want computers and only one company is making them… • Other businesses CANNOT start making computers. • There is NO COMPETITION…. • Which means higher prices, lower quality, and less product variety. • More computers will not be made until the government decides to create a new factory. • The End Result: There is a shortage of goods that consumers want, produced at the highest prices and the lowest quality.

  23. Free Enterprise System (aka Capitalism)

  24. Characteristics of Free Market • Little government involvement in the economy. (Laissez Faire = Let it be) • Individuals OWN resources and answer the three economic questions. • The opportunity to make PROFIT gives people INCENTIVE to produce quality items efficiently. • Wide variety of goods available to consumers. • Competition and Self-Interest work together to regulate the economy (keep prices down and quality up).

  25. Example of Free Market • Example of how the free market regulates itself: • If consumers want computers and only one company is making them… • Other businesses have the INCENTIVE to start making computers to earn PROFIT. • This leads to more COMPETITION…. • Which means lower prices, better quality, and more product variety. • We produce the goods and services that society wants because “resources follow profits”. • The End Result: Most efficient production of the goods that consumers want, produced at the lowest prices and the highest quality.

  26. Attacks Against Capitalism 27

  27. Sweatshops "My concern is not that there are too many sweatshops, but that there are too few." -Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University 28

  28. Sweatshops "My concern is not that there are too many sweatshops, but that there are too few." -Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard University Question: Who is to blame for these people being so poor? Answer: Low productivity. If a country doesn’t produce very much, it can afford to pay it’s workers very much. Why do these countries have such low productivity? Corrupt governments, inadequate physical capital and infrastructure, and underdeveloped human capital. What does foreign investment bring to poor countries? Jobs, money, technology, how to use resources 29

  29. Productivity Creates Wealth 3rd World Countries Developed Countries 30

  30. The difference between North and South Korea at night. North Korea's GDP is $40 Billion South Korea's GDP is $1.3 Trillion (32 times greater).

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