...Macroeconomic Policy and U.S. Competitiveness The United States is on a glide path to fiscal disaster, with experts projecting that the federal government will take in far less money than it spends—indefinitely. Although in our experience business leaders have a general sense that this state of affairs is dangerous, they’re unclear on exactly how fiscal policy shapes the competitiveness of the nation and of their companies. The current policy is eroding competitiveness in several ways, and business conditions in the United States will deteriorate if there’s no change in direction. A better understanding of how fiscal policy and competitiveness are linked may make such a change more likely. How does fiscal policy affect competitiveness? To answer, we need a clear definition of “competitiveness”—which is, in our view, the extent to which a nation’s companies can succeed in the global marketplace while its people enjoy a high and rising standard of living. Companies compete on the basis of production costs for a certain amount of output. The only way to lower those costs while sustaining and raising workers’ standard of living is to increase productivity, or output per worker. Raising productivity requires improving human capital, increasing physical capital (equipment or software, for example), or using these forms of capital more efficiently. Let’s look at how the spending side of fiscal policy relates to these three drivers. Many public goods provided by the government contribute...
Words: 882 - Pages: 4
...Review of Keynesian Economics, Inaugural Issue, Autumn 2012, pp. 1–4 Statement of the Co-Editors Economics and the economic crisis: the case for change It is widely recognized that economic crises can sometimes trigger enormous change, with regard to both economic theory and the politics of governance. Today, the global economy is struggling with the fall-out from the financial crash of 2008 and the Great Recession of 2007–2009. The economic crisis that these events have generated, combined with the failure of the mainstream economics profession, has again put the question of change on the table. The economics profession stands significantly discredited owing to its failure to foresee the recession and the financial crash, its repeated over-optimistic forecasts of rapid recovery, and the lack of plausibility surrounding its attempts to explain events. Reasonable people do not expect economists to predict the daily movements of the stock market, but they do expect them to anticipate and explain major imminent economic developments. On that score, the profession failed catastrophically, revealing fundamental theoretical inadequacies. This intellectual failure has prompted us to launch the Review of Keynesian Economics. At a time of journal proliferation, some may wonder about the need for another journal. We would respond there is a proliferation of journals, but that proliferation is essentially within one intellectual paradigm. As such, it obscures the fact that the range...
Words: 1862 - Pages: 8
...Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences School of Economics ECOS2002 Intermediate Macroeconomics Semester 1, 2015 Unit of Study Outline Unit Coordinator: Dr. Stella Huangfu Location: Room 339, Merewether Building Email address: stella.huangfu@sydney.edu.au Phone: +61-2-9036 9311 Consultation Hours: Thursdays 2-4 pm or other times by appointment. Tutors: Email address: Consultation Hours: Class times: Thursday 11am-1pm Venue: Bosch Lecture Theatre 2 This Unit of Study Outline MUST be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Student Administration Manual (http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/student_admin_manual.shtml) and all applicable University policies. In determining applications and appeals, it will be assumed that every student has taken the time to familiarise themselves with these key policies and procedures. [ECOS2002 Intermediate Macroeconomics] UNIT DESCRIPTION This unit of study develops models of the goods, money and labour markets, examines issues in macroeconomic policy. Macroeconomic relationships, covering consumption, investment, money and employment, are explored in detail. Macro-dynamic relationships, especially those linking inflation and unemployment, are also considered. Exchange rates and open economy macroeconomics are also addressed. In the last part of the unit, topics include the determinants and theories of economic growth, productivity and technology, the dynamics of the business cycle, counter-cyclical...
Words: 3541 - Pages: 15
...MACROECONOMICS & THE GLOBAL ECONOMY Instructor SATYENDRA TIMILSINA What is Macroeconomics? • It is that branch of economics, which deals economic affairs at large i.e. total or aggregates • Concerns itself with variables such as – – – – Aggregate output of the economy Extent to which its resources are used Size of National Income General Price Level Introduction • Managers have to deal with economic environment at two levels – micro level and macro level • Micro level includes market structure and the strength of competitors. Firm’s decision making is mostly influenced by the activities of its rival forms. The following are some factors that affect firms decision at micro level – Level of competition – Cost of production and – Product differentiation Introduction • Macro level includes the overall system. This is something that the firm assumes to the given. • Decision making of the firm is affected by the macroeconomic environment. • The following macroeconomic factors have a strong effect on firm’s decision making – Overall Demand – Price Level – Rate of interest – Tax policies and – Exchange Rates Introduction • It is important for managers to know the macroeconomics because an unprecedented change in any of these factors can upset the revenue and cost of the firm, affecting the profitability and returns. • The problem can be minimized or managed if managers know the working of an economy and thereby, judge the...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...MACROECONOMICS: A General Overview Finance is based on economics. Therefore, to properly understand financial markets and their behavior one must first understand economics. Economics at its core is concerned with the production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services. To put this in human terms we can say that economics is the science that arises out of the interplay between limited resources and unlimited human wants and needs. There are two basic ways to view economics. There is the broad and distant view, which attempts to view things in aggregate for a society at large. We call this view “Macroeconomics”. Macroeconomics is concerned with the status of the economy as a whole. Thus, it looks at overall employment of a general population or overall income of a nation as opposed to a more focused view of a population segment or specific industry. This view is helpful because it is only by this kind of analysis that we can see the general trends which a society or nation is following. Macroeconomic theory and analysis is employed most often by Governments and institutions, which have a responsibility to make policies and decisions which affect the economy as a whole. Some terms you may have heard of which concern themselves with the macroeconomic view of the economy are Gross National Product, Inflation, Consumer Price Index and Fiscal Policy. The meaning of each of these is listed below. Gross National Product – This is the most common measure...
Words: 531 - Pages: 3
...CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY For decades now, Nigeria has been experiencing disappointing performance in terms of growth in gross domestic product (GDP) and the general development of her economy. As a result, there’s no improvement in the level of poverty. In the 90s, came the era of globalization which connotes external opening and increased role of markets domestically (i.e. the market economy). To the developing world, market economy is a modern way of turning the economy around. The essence of globalization is to move the economy towards external liberation, focusing on market oriented economic system, export-led strategy and stabilization of the economy. In Nigeria, it was the era of structural adjustment programme in collaboration with the IMF and World Bank. The governments in the developing world, believes that it is more desirable to globalize which simply means to open up the economy and penetrate international markets. In time past, the world economy has undergone a fundamental shift towards an integrated and coordinated global division of labour in production and trade. In the 1950s and 1960s, productions were within national boundaries. The increase of oil prices in the late 1970s and the contractionary monetary policies of the United States during 1979 and 1982 period led to the increased interest rates and consequently indebted developing countries found they unable to service their debts. Continual refinancing was the only...
Words: 10565 - Pages: 43
...activity issues and problems. Macro estimates are good for rough estimates and can help select and prioritize projects. UNCERTAINTY Micro time and cost estimates are usually tied directly to the WBS and a work package. These estimates are made by people familiar with the task, which helps to gain buy-in on the validity of the estimate. Use of several people should improve the accuracy of the estimate. Micro estimates should be preferred if time to estimate is available, estimating cost is reasonable, and accuracy is important. Microeconomics is generally the study of individuals and business decisions, macroeconomics looks at higher up country and government decisions. Macroeconomics and microeconomics, and their wide array of underlying concepts, have been the subject of a great deal of writings. The field of study is vast; here is a brief summary of what each covers: Microeconomics is the study of decisions that people and businesses make regarding the allocation of resources and prices of goods and services. This means also taking into account taxes and regulations created by governments. Microeconomics focuses on supply and demand and other forces that determine the price levels seen in the economy. For example, microeconomics would look at how a specific company could maximize it's production and capacity so it could lower prices and better compete in its industry. (Find out more about microeconomics in Understanding Microeconomics.) Macroeconomics, on the other...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...Differentiate between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics Name Institution Differentiate between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics According to (Krugman, 2005), Microeconomics involves analysis of individual economic units such as households, demand, and supply and market equilibrium. Macroeconomics, on the other hand, includes analysis of aggregate economic variables such as national income, inflation, unemployment and interest rates. My primary objective in this paper, therefore, is to differentiate between macroeconomics and microeconomics. This fact alone cannot distinguish macro and microeconomics. Nevertheless, microeconomics and macroeconomics are interdependent. While analyzing macroeconomics an economist has to ask questions which affect the standards of living of an entire country. Such issues will be related to inflation, unemployment, national income, product markets, fiscal policies, international trade, economic growth and interest rates (Mankiw, 2007). On the other hand, an economist while analyzing Microeconomics will look at individual’s purchasing power, demand, supply, income, utility level, labor markets, production, consumption and opportunity cost. Macroeconomics is concerned with the national income and the gross domestic product while Microeconomics is concerned with the impact of an increase or decrease in a single economic variable (Krugman, 2005). Microeconomics works on the principle that prices of goods and services are determined by the...
Words: 303 - Pages: 2
...PENYERAHAN DAN PENILAIAN TUGASAN ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT _________________________________________________________________________ BBEK4203 PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS/PRINSIP MAKROEKONOMI MEI/MAY 2011 _________________________________________________________________________ ARAHAN KEPADA PELAJAR / INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS 1. Tugasan ini mengandungi SATU (1) soalan sahaja yang disediakan dalam bahasa modul bercetak kursus ini. / This assignment contains only ONE (1) question that is set in the language of the printed module for the course. 2. Jawab dalam Bahasa Melayu atau Bahasa Inggeris. / Answer in Malay or English. 3. Muat turunkan templat tugasan versi bahasa yang berkenaan daripada MyVLE untuk penyediaan dan penyerahan tugasan anda. Tugasan anda hendaklah ditaip dengan menggunakan saiz fon 12 Times New Roman dan langkau baris 1.5. / Download the language version of the assignment template concerned from the MyVLE for preparation and submission of your assignment. Your assignment should be typed using 12 point Times New Roman font and 1.5 line spacing. 4. Tugasan anda hendaklah antara 2500 hingga 3000 patah perkataan tidak termasuk rujukan. Bilangan perkataan hendaklah ditunjukkan di hujung tugasan anda. Jangan menyalin soalan dan arahan tugasan dalam jawapan anda. / Your assignment should be between 2500 to 3000 words excluding references. The number of words should be shown at the end of your assignment. Do not copy the assignment question and instructions...
Words: 1145 - Pages: 5
...mean by decision made at a common level is that it looks at the entire activities and behavior of the entire economy. This may be at national level, regional level or even global level. Difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics Economics is primarily split into two major sections, this are the macroeconomics and the microeconomics. The two are so much connected. Adjustment in one affects the other. Both of them work together in the world of economy. The macroeconomics can be considered to be the summation of microeconomics. However there exists a difference in the two. We shall be discussing on the distinction between the two in the subsequent few paragraphs. To begin with, the naming denotes that there is a difference between macro and microeconomics.’ macro’ stands for large in Greek, while 'micro’ stands for small in Greek. This is to explain that microeconomics covers the economy of smaller regions such as a firm, a company or even individual businesses. Macroeconomics is concerned with a larger area such as regional, national or global economy. Macroeconomics studies indicators such as inflation, GDP, unemployment, rates and price indices in order to get a comprehension on how the entire economy works. It looks into issues like national income, output,...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...Economics is characterized as the investigation of how the people cooperate to change over constrained assets into products and administrations with a specific end goal to fulfill their needs (boundless) and how they circulate the same among themselves. Economics has been partitioned into two noteworthy parts Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. The previous is the investigation of monetary conduct of a specific individual, firm, or a family unit, it concentrates on a specific unit while the last is the investigation of totals not a solitary unit but rather every one of the units consolidates. Take a gander at the imperative contrasts in the middle of micro and macro aspects underneath. The difference between micro and macro economics is simple....
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...scarcity plays an important role in the decisions that people make, and unfortunately is a way of life. Everyone has their own view of what type of scarcity that causes them to make their decisions, as it can be the amount of time, money constraints, or labor issues. How do Economists use theories and models to understand important economic issues? Economists use theories and models as a tool, or a way to determine an answer. “John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946), one of the greatest economists of the twentieth century, pointed out that economics is not just a subject area but also a way of thinking,” (Principles of Economics, 2014). Identify each of the following topics as being part of microeconomics or macroeconomics: a. the impact of a change in consumer income on the purchase of luxury automobiles Microeconomics b. the effect of a change in the price of Coke on the purchase of Pepsi Microeconomics c. the impact of a war in the Middle East on the rate of inflation in the United States Macroeconomics d. factors influencing the rate of economic growth Macroeconomics e. factors influencing the demand for tractors Microeconomics f. the impact of tax policy on national saving Macroeconomics Which of...
Words: 430 - Pages: 2
...RUNNING HEAD: FUNDAMENTALS OF MACROECONOMICS 1 Fundamentals of Macroeconomics ECO/372 February 5, 2015 Samuel Imarhiagbe FUNDAMENTALS 2 Fundamentals of Macroeconomics Macroeconomics studies an economy at the aggregate level. It is concerned with the workings of the whole economy or large sectors of it. These sectors include government, business, and households. Macroeconomics deals with such issues as national economic output and growth, unemployment, recession, inflation, foreign trade, and monetary and fiscal policy (Koch, 2015). Macroeconomics is utilized when looking at the impact that activities such as purchasing groceries, massive employee layoffs and a decrease in taxes have on the government, households and businesses. Purchasing Groceries Grocery shopping is an activity that almost every household is expected to participate in. Approximately 15% of American income is spent on groceries; the smallest rise in prices can impact a family’s budget (Parker, 2011). Food prices are determined by several factors including, but not limited to, the economy, taxes, regulations and demand. If the demand for certain products is down or the economy is not doing well, the government may increase taxes on items, including groceries. If the price of groceries increases, consumers may be obligated to purchase a lesser amount of groceries or may begin purchasing a FUNDAMENTALS 3 lower quality of groceries from discount...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
...Economics 2102 Intermediate Macroeconomics George Washington University Fall 2014 Professor Henry S. Terrell, Ph.D. Course Description Economics 2102 is a course in Intermediate Macroeconomics. The course will analyze the economy in a “general equilibrium” framework, where the performance of the economy in terms of output, employment and unemployment, inflation, and international trade and capital flows is determined by the simultaneous interaction of the goods, labor, money, and international markets. The course will highlight the differences between the economy in the short and long run, the important role that expectations about the future play in macroeconomic analysis, the role, limits, and transmission mechanisms of fiscal and monetary policy in efforts at economic stabilization, and the Solow model of the determinants of long-term economic growth and the role of capital formation in economic growth. The course will also explicitly consider the current challenges to the economy. Textbook and Other Materials The textbook is MacroEconomics, by Andrew B. Abel, Ben S. Bernanke, and Dean Croushore, 8th edition. The MyEconLab system that comes with that textbook is required. Grades will be based on: 1. Three problem sets turned in on MyEconLab that will count for a total of 25 percent. The problem sets when turned in are graded immediately and you will have three chances to correct any mistakes and resubmit your answers. The first problem set will...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...1 What is Macroeconomics? ( Chapter Outline 1. How Macroeconomics Affects Our Everyday Lives (a) The “Big Three” Concepts of Macroeconomics 2. Defining Macroeconomics (a) How Macroeconomics Differs from Microeconomics (b) Economic Theory: A Process of Simplification 3. Actual and Natural Real GDP (a) Unemployment: Actual and Natural (b) Real GDP and the Three Macro Concepts 4. Macroeconomics in the Short Run and Long Run (a) The Short Run: Business Cycles (b) Business Cycle Concepts (c) The Long Run: Economic Growth 5. Case Study: A Century of Business Cycles (a) Real GDP (b) Unemployment 6. Macroeconomics at the Extremes (a) Unemployment in the Great Depression, 1929–40 (b) The German Hyperinflation of 1922–23 (c) Fast and Slow Growth in Asia 7. Taming Business Cycles: Stabilization Policy (a) The Role of Stabilization Policy 8. The “Internationalization” of Macroeconomics IP* Box: How Does U.S. Economic Performance Rank? ( Chapter Overview Chapter 1 begins by introducing a set of three central macroeconomic concepts, called the “Big Three Concepts of Macroeconomics. They are the unemployment rate, the inflation rate, and productivity growth. Introducing the field of macroeconomics to students in this way has an important advantage. It facilitates the early introduction and definition of basic macroeconomic terminology, which gives students a chance to get used to thinking of macroeconomic issues in terms of...
Words: 2721 - Pages: 11
