a tax that takes the same share of income at all income levels
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progressive tax
a tax that takes a larger share of income as income increases
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regressive tax
a tax that takes a smaller share of income as income increases
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infrastructure
the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise
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withholding
employers take out a certain amount of tax from each paycheck
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W-2 form
lists the wages from the previous calendar year and the amount of tax that was withheld
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audit
formal review of the tax return
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social security tax
set at fixed rate, which is paid half by the employer and half by the employee
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property taxes
tax on the value of a property, usually levied on real estate
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sales tax
levies a percent charge on the purchase of a wide variety of goods and services
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federal deficit
shortfall between tax revenues and government expenditures
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national debt
total amount owed money by a nation's government as a result of borrowing
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fiscal year
a 12 month accounting period
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mandatory spending
spending that is fixed by law
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discretionary spending
is government spending implemented through an appropriations bill
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inflation
an increase in the overall price level of goods and services produced in an economy
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economic indicators
statistics that help economist judge the health of an economy
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gross domestic product (GDP)
the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a given period of time
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unemployment rate
the percentage of the labor force that is not employed but is actively seeking work
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inflation rate
the percentage of increase in the average price level of goods and services from one month or year to the next
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consumer price index (CPI)
a measure of price changes in consumer goods and services
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business cycle
a recurring pattern of growth and decline in economic activity over time
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recession
a period of declining national economic activity for at least six months or longer
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market value
the price consumers are willing to pay for a good or service in a competitive market place
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final good
any new good that is ready for use by a consumer
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intermediate goods
goods that are used in the production of final goods
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net exports
the value of all exports minus all imports
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nominal GDP
GDP evaluated at current market prices that will include all of the changes in market prices that have occurred during the current year due to inflation or deflation.
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current dollars
value of a dollar without adjusting for the effect of inflation
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real GDP
a macroeconomic measure of the value of economic output adjusted for price changes
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constant dollars
fixed rate that was current in a specified base year
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per capita GDP
nations real gross domestic product divided by its population
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frictional unemployment
the unemployment which exists in any economy due to people being in the process of moving from one job to another
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structural unemployment
unemployment resulting from industrial reorganization, typically due to technological change, rather than fluctuations in supply or demand
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seasonal unemployment
occurs when people are unemployed at certain times of the year, because they work in industries where they are not needed all year round.
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cyclical unemployment
a factor of overall unemployment that relates to the cyclical trends in growth and production that occur within the business cycle
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natural rate of unemployment
a combination of frictional and structural unemployment that persists in an efficient, expanding economy when labor and resource markets are in equilibrium
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discouraged workers
a person of legal employment age who is not actively seeking employment or who does not find employment after long-term unemployment
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price index
measures the average change in price of a type of good over time
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creeping inflation
the circumstance where the inflation of a nation increases gradually, but continually, over time
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hyperinflation
monetary inflation occurring at a very high rate
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deflation
reduction of the general level of prices in an economy
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demand-pull inflation
asserted to arise when aggregate demand in an economy outpaces aggregate supply
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cost-push inflation
nflation caused by an increase in prices of inputs like labour, raw material, etc
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expansion
a period of economic growth
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peak
the point at which an expansion ends
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contraction
period of general economic decline marked by a falling GDP and rising unemployment
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trough
lowest point of contraction
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depression
prolonged economic downturn characterized by a plunging real GDP and extremely high unemployment
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fiscal policy
government policy regarding taxing and spending
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monetary policy
central bank policy aimed at regulating the amount of money in circulation
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deficit spending
government spending in excess of what is collected in revenues
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stagflation
a combination of economic stagnation or slowdown and high inflation
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multiplier effect
a ripple effect in which a change in spending by one person or business leads to additional changes in spending by another person or business
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expansionary fiscal policy
seeks to expand the money supply to encourage economic growth or combat inflationary price increases
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reserve requirement
the regulation that banks must keep a certain percentage of deposits on hand to repay depositors
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open-market operations
involve the buying and selling of government securities in the bond market
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required reserve ratio
he portion of depositors' balances that banks must have on hand as cash
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discount rate
the minimum interest rate set by the Federal Reserve for lending to other banks
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federal funds rate
he interest rate at which depository institutions (banks and credit unions) lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight, on an uncollateralized basis
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economics
the study of how society manages its scarce resources
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opportunity cost
the most desirable alternative given up as the result of a decision
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economic system
the method used by a society to produce and distribute goods and services
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Scarcity
unlimited wants and limited resources
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factors of production
land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship
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labor
Human effort directed toward producing goods and services
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capital
assets that are owned in the production of goods and services. Examples include machines, or experts in production.
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Entrepreneur
a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
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key economic question
what goods and services should be produced? How should these goods and services be produced? Who consumes these goods and services?
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Law of supply
producers offer more of a good as its price increases and less as its price falls
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supply curve shifters
input prices, technology, \# of sellers, expectations
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law of demand
consumers buy more of a good when its price decreases and less when its price increases
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demand curve shifters
number of buyers, income, prices of related goods, tastes, expectations
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quantity supplied
the amount a supplier is willing and able to supply at a certain price
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quantity demanded
the amount of a good that buyers are willing and able to purchase
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demand
the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy
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supply
The quantity of something that producers have available for sale
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substitute goods
Products or services that can be used in place of each other. When the price of one falls, the demand for the other product falls; conversely, when the price of one product rises, the demand for the other product rises.
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complementary goods
Goods that are commonly used with other goods
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Oligopoly
A market structure in which a few large firms dominate a market
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monopoly
A market in which there are many buyers but only one seller.
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positive externality
beneficial side effect that affects an uninvolved third party
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monopolistic competition
a market structure in which many companies sell products that are similar but not identical
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perfect competition
a market structure in which a large number of firms all produce the same product
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price floor
A legal minimum on the price at which a good can be sold
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price ceiling
A legal maximum on the price at which a good can be sold
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functions of an economic system
what, how, and for whom to produce
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US economic system
capitalist economy
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Types of Economic Systems
traditional, command, market, mixed
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Tradeoffs
The sacrifice of some or all of one economic goal, good, or service to achieve some other goal, good, or service.
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cost-benefit analysis
a decision-making process in which you compare what you will sacrifice and gain by a specific action
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shortage
A situation in which quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied
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market equilibrium
a situation in which quantity demanded equals quantity supplied
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negative externality
harmful side effect that affects an uninvolved third party
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Federal Reserve System
The country's central banking system, which is responsible for the nation's monetary policy by regulating the supply of money and interest rates
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contractionary fiscal policy
Fiscal policy used to decrease aggregate demand or supply. Deliberate measures to decrease government expenditures, increase taxes, or both. Appropriate during periods of inflation.
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expansionary monetary policy
Federal Reserve system actions to increase the money supply, lower interest rates, and expand real GDP; an easy money policy.
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contractionary monetary policy
the Federal Reserve's policy of increasing interest rates to reduce inflation
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expansionary policy
cut taxes or increasing spending to GROW the economy ex: use this policy during/after a recession or a depression
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contractionary policy
raise taxes or decrease spending to SLOW the economy ex: use contractionary policy to avoid inflation