An import quota is a limit on the amount of imports that can be brought into a particular country. For example, the US may limit the number of Japanese car imports to 2 million per year. Quotas will reduce imports, and help domestic suppliers. However, they will lead to higher prices for consumers, a decline …
Readers Question: What happens when the government subsidizes a product? A subsidy means the government pays part of the cost. For example, the government may give farmers a subsidy of £10 for every kilo of potatoes. The effect is to shift the supply curve to the right, leading to lower price and higher quantity demanded Diagram …
Governments intervene in markets to try and overcome market failure. The government may also seek to improve the distribution of resources (greater equality). The aims of government intervention in markets include Stabilise prices Provide producers/farmers with a minimum income To avoid excessive prices for goods with important social welfare Discourage demerit goods/encourage merit good Forms …
Definition of substitute goods – Substitute goods are two alternative goods that could be used for the same purpose. Substitutes present the consumer with alternative choices. If the price of one good increases, then demand for the substitute is likely to rise. Therefore, substitutes have a positive cross elasticity of demand. Graph of two substitute …
Definition of Consumer Surplus This is the difference between what the consumer pays and what he would have been willing to pay. For example: If you would be willing to pay £50 for a ticket to see the F. A. Cup final, but you can buy a ticket for £40. In this case, your consumer …
Economic development implies an improvement in economic welfare through higher real GDP, but also through an improvement in other economic indicators, such as improved literacy, better infrastructure, reduced poverty and improved healthcare standards. Policies for economic development could involve: Improved macroeconomic conditions (create stable economic climate of low inflation and positive economic growth) Free market …
Definition Trade diversion occurs when tariff agreements cause imports to shift from low-cost countries to higher-cost countries. Trade diversion is considered undesirable because it concentrates production in countries with a higher opportunity cost and lower comparative advantage. Trade diversion may occur when a country joins a free trade area with a common external tariff. Example …
A look at some different topics related to the economics of food. Will a rise in population lead to a shortage of food? I think most people have heard of The Dismal Prophecy of Malthus. (though Economics was termed the ‘dismal science’ for different reasons) Writing in the late eighteenth century, T.Malthus argued that the …