Capitalism is an economic system characterised by: Lack of government intervention Means of production owned by private firms. Goods and services distributed according to price mechanism (as opposed to government price controls) Capitalism – pros and consWatch this video on YouTube Pros of capitalism “A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A …
Definition of social efficiency. This is the optimal distribution of resources in society, taking into account all external costs and benefits as well as the internal costs and benefits. Social efficiency occurs at an output where Marginal Social Benefit (MSB) = Marginal Social Cost (MSC). Social efficiency is closely related to the concept of Pareto …
There are different forms of socialism but for this blog will use the form of democratic socialism advocated by Socialist parties in Western Europe. For example, Nordic countries where government spending is between 40-50% of GDP. This brand of socialism believes in: Redistribution of income and wealth through a progressive tax system and welfare state. …
Definition: The environmental Kuznets curve suggests that economic development initially leads to a deterioration in the environment, but after a certain level of economic growth, a society begins to improve its relationship with the environment and levels of environmental degradation reduces. From a very simplistic viewpoint, it can suggest that economic growth is good for …
The Harrod Domar Model suggests that the rate of economic growth depends on two things: Level of Savings (higher savings enable higher investment) Capital-Output Ratio. A lower capital-output ratio means investment is more efficient and the growth rate will be higher. A simplified model of Harrod-Domar: Harrod-Domar in more detail Level of savings (s) = …
Taxes on negative externalities are intended to make consumers/producers pay the full social cost of the good. This reduces consumption and creates a more socially efficient outcome. If a good has a negative externality, without a tax, there will be over-consumption (Q1 where D=S) because people ignore the external costs. 1. Diagram – Taxes on …
Definition – Price discrimination involves charging a different price to different groups of people for the same good. For example – student discounts, off peak fares cheaper than peak fares. Different Types of Price Discrimination 1. First Degree Price Discrimination This involves charging consumers the maximum price that they are willing to pay. There will …
Negative externalities occur when the consumption or production of a good causes a harmful effect to a third party. Examples of negative externalities Loud music. If you play loud music at night, your neighbour may not be able to sleep. Pollution. If you produce chemicals and cause pollution as a side effect, then local fishermen …