A Level Economics Eduqas

This subject is broken down into 71 topics in 16 modules:

  1. Scarcity and Choice 7 topics
  2. Demand and Supply in Labour Markets 6 topics
  3. Macroeconomic Theory 6 topics
  4. Policy Instruments: Fiscal Policy 3 topics
  5. Policy Instruments: Exchange rates and exchange rate policy 2 topics
  6. Policy Instruments: Supply side policies 1 topics
  7. Costs, revenues and profits 11 topics
  8. Macroeconomic Policy 4 topics
  9. Macroeconomic Policy: Economic Growth 3 topics
  10. Macroeconomic Policy: Unemployment 4 topics
  11. Macroeconomic Policy: Inflation and Deflation 5 topics
  12. Macroeconomic Policy: The Balance of Payments 4 topics
  13. Policy Instruments: Control of the National Debt 4 topics
  14. Policy Instruments: Monetary Policy 3 topics
  15. International Trade 5 topics
  16. Economic Development 3 topics
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  • 16
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  • 71
    topics
  • 25,914
    words of revision content
  • 3+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Economics

Scarcity and Choice

Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost

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Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost

Basics of Economic Problem

  • Scarcity refers to the basic economic problem, the gap between limited resources and theoretically limitless wants.
  • This situation requires people to make decisions about how to allocate resources efficiently, in order to satisfy basic needs and as many additional wants as possible.
  • Choice is the process of deciding which want, among numerous possibilities, will be satisfied using the available resources.

Concept of Opportunity Cost

  • Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative forgone, when an economic decision is made.
  • It's a key concept in economics because it implies the cost of making a specific choice in terms of the option or options that are forgone.
  • In other words, opportunity cost is the value of what could have been achieved if you had made a different decision.

Consequences of Scarcity

  • Because of scarcity, choices must be made by consumers, businesses and governments.
  • For businesses, decisions about what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce need to be made.
  • Governments must decide on how to allocate public resources (eg. health care, education) and how to distribute income.
  • Consumers must make decisions about what to buy and in what quantities, given their limited income.

Applications of Opportunity Cost

  • Opportunity cost sets up the basic principles of economics: tradeoffs and scarcity. It can be applied to decisions making process at all levels, including personal finance, production decisions of a business, and policy decisions by government.
  • For example, for a student, the opportunity cost of choosing to study would be the time that could be spent with friends, working, or sleeping etc.
  • Within a business, understanding the opportunity cost of choosing one investment over another can help to inform decisions on the allocation of resources.

Resource Allocation

  • With scarcity always present, choices and trade-offs are made, which leads to the issue of resource allocation. This shows how a society or individual assigns its scarce resources among alternatives.
  • An example may be the trade-off between producing one type of good or another, or between consuming and saving, etc.
  • Economists aim to solve the problem of scarcity by allocating resources in the most efficient way possible. They undertake this through the analysis of choices and trade-offs and by making decision based on opportunity cost.

Course material for Economics, module Scarcity and Choice, topic Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost

Economics

Macroeconomic Policy

Short run aggregate supply (SRAS)

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Short run aggregate supply (SRAS)

Understanding Short Run Aggregate Supply (SRAS)

  • The Short Run Aggregate Supply (SRAS) curve depicts the total planned output of goods and services produced by a country's firms at a range of price levels.
  • The SRAS curve is upward sloping, indicating that as prices rise, firms are willing to produce more output.
  • In the short run, at least one factor of production is fixed (e.g. capital), enabling firms to only marginally adjust their output.
  • SRAS is influenced by the level of wages, raw material prices, and corporate taxes. Higher wage levels or raw material prices shift the SRAS curve to the left—decreasing potential output; lower levels shift it to the right—increasing potential output.

Key Differences: Short Run and Long Run Aggregate Supply

  • Unlike SRAS, long run aggregate supply (LRAS) reflects an economy's output when all factors of production (e.g. labour, capital) are variable, not fixed.
  • In the long run, changes in productivity, technology, and total factor resources can shift the LRAS curve.
  • A key concept to grasp is that price levels do not influence LRAS; only changes in real factors of production can shift the economy's maximum potential output.

Shifts in the SRAS Curve

  • Any changes in the costs of production or supply conditions cause shifts in the SRAS curve.
  • Negative supply shocks, such as a rise in oil prices or natural disasters, increase production costs, shifting the SRAS curve to the left.
  • Positive supply shocks, such as a fall in oil prices or advancements in technology, decrease production costs, shifting the SRAS curve to the right.

SRAS, Inflation, and Economic Growth

  • Change in SRAS can lead to temporary increases or decreases in economic growth and inflation.
  • A shift to right in SRAS implies increased potential output and can lead to economic growth with stable or potentially falling price levels.
  • A shift to the left can lead to stagflation—a combination of economic stagnation and inflation.

Course material for Economics, module Macroeconomic Policy, topic Short run aggregate supply (SRAS)

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