Basic Economics Notes



📘 Basic Economics Notes

1. Definition of Economics

  • Economics is the study of how people allocate limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants.
  • Two main branches:
    • Microeconomics – Study of individual markets, consumers, and firms.
    • Macroeconomics – Study of the economy as a whole (GDP, inflation, unemployment, etc.).

💸 Basic Economic Concepts

2. Scarcity

  • Resources (land, labor, capital) are limited.
  • Scarcity forces choices and trade-offs.

3. Opportunity Cost

  • The value of the next best alternative foregone when making a decision.

4. Demand and Supply

  • Demand: Quantity of a good consumers are willing and able to buy at different prices.
  • Law of Demand: Price ↑ → Quantity demanded ↓ (inverse relationship).
  • Supply: Quantity of a good producers are willing to offer at different prices.
  • Law of Supply: Price ↑ → Quantity supplied ↑ (direct relationship).
  • Equilibrium: Where demand equals supply.

📈 Macroeconomic Indicators

5. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

  • Total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year.
  • Real GDP is adjusted for inflation.

6. Inflation

  • A general increase in prices.
  • Measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

7. Unemployment

  • Percentage of the labor force that is jobless and actively seeking work.
  • Types: frictional, structural, cyclical, seasonal.

🏦 Monetary and Fiscal Policy

8. Monetary Policy

  • Controlled by central banks (e.g., interest rates, money supply).
  • Tools: open market operations, discount rate, reserve requirements.

9. Fiscal Policy

  • Controlled by government (taxing and spending).
  • Expansionary policy: Increase spending or cut taxes to stimulate growth.
  • Contractionary policy: Decrease spending or raise taxes to reduce inflation.

🌍 International Trade

10. Comparative Advantage

  • A country should specialize in producing goods where it has a lower opportunity cost.

11. Trade Barriers

  • Tariffs, quotas, and embargoes restrict free trade.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Question and answer pairs based on the story "The Lantern of Eldervale"

The Lantern of Eldervale

The Rise and Fall of the Maurya Empire