The Economic Problem
The Economic Problem
- Scarcity is a fundamental concept in economics. It arises because resources are limited, but human wants are unlimited.
- The economic problem therefore involves deciding how best to allocate these scarce resources to meet as many of our unlimited wants as possible.
- All societies face the basic economic problem of deciding what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom it should be produced.
- This problem applies regardless of the type of economic system employed, be it a free market economy (such as in the US), a command economy (as in North Korea), or a mixed economy (like in the UK).
Factors of Production
- The factors of production include: land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship.
- Land refers to all natural resources, including minerals, forests, and bodies of water.
- Labour is the human effort required in production, both physical and mental.
- Capital includes all man-made resources used in production, such as machinery, buildings, and so on.
- Entrepreneurship refers to the management and organisation of the other three factors, as well as the risks taken in business decisions.
Economic Decisions and Tradeoffs
- Because of scarcity, decisions must be made about how best to use and distribute resources. These decisions often entail trade-offs.
- A trade-off represents the alternative we sacrifice when we make a decision. For instance, if we decide to spend more on healthcare, there might be less money available for education.
- The concept of opportunity cost is crucial in understanding economic decisions. It represents what you give up in order to get something else.
- A production possibility frontier (PPF) graphically represents the concept of trade-off and opportunity cost. The PPF shows the maximum possible output of two goods or services an economy can produce when all resources are fully and efficiently employed.
Economic Systems
- An economic system is the method adopted by a society to resolve the economic problem.
- Free market economies allow the laws of supply and demand to guide the allocation of resources and production.
- Command (or planned) economies delegate these decisions to the government or central authority.
- Most economies are actually mixed, with a blend of free market principles and government intervention, to try and get the best of both worlds.
Economic Efficiency
- Economic efficiency occurs when a society obtains the largest possible amount from its limited resources. It indicates a minimisation of waste.
- Productive efficiency is achieved when products are created at the lowest possible cost.
- Allocative efficiency is reached when resources are distributed in a way that reflects consumer preferences.
- Pareto efficiency is a state of economic efficiency where any changes made to assist one party would harm another.
Remember, understanding these key concepts is essential to tackling the "Economics of the Market" component of your economics course. Be sure to review and have solid definitions in mind for each term.