introduction to economics
DESCRIPTION
Introduction to Economics. Economics – the study of how individuals and societies make decisions about ways to use scarce resources to fulfill wants and needs. What does THAT mean?!!??!!. WHAT IS ECONOMICS ?. Microeconomics How do individuals make economic decisions - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
*Introduction to Economics
![Page 2: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
*WHAT IS ECONOMICS?
*Economics – the study of how individuals and societies make decisions about ways to use scarce resources to fulfill wants and needs.*What does THAT mean?!!??!!
![Page 3: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
*The Study of Economics
*Microeconomics*How do individuals make economic decisions
“Microeconomists are wrong about specific things…”
*Macroeconomics*The big picture: growth, employment, etc.*Choices made by large groups (like countries)
“Macroeconomists are wrong about things in general”
![Page 4: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
*However, there is a Fundamental Problem
with economics:SCARCITY: unlimited wants and
needs but limited resources
![Page 5: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
*What are resources?*Definition: The things used to make other goods
![Page 6: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
*4 Factors of Production*LAND – Natural Resources
*Water, natural gas, oil, trees (all the stuff we find on, in, and under the land)
*LABOR – Physical and Intellectual*Labor is manpower
*CAPITAL - Tools, Machinery, Factories*The things we use to make things*Human capital is brainpower, ideas, innovation
*ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Investment $$$*Investing time, natural resources, labor and capital are all risks associated with production
![Page 7: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
*Choices, Choices
*Because ALL resources, goods, and services are limited – WE MUST MAKE CHOICES!!!!
![Page 8: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
*Why Choices?
We make choices about how we spend our money, time, and energy so we can fulfill our NEEDS and WANTS.
What are NEEDS and WANTS?
![Page 9: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
*Wants and Needs, Needs and Wants*NEEDS – “stuff” we must have to survive, generally:
food, shelter, clothing
*WANTS – “stuff” we would really like to have (Fancy food, shelter, clothing, big screen TVs, jewelry, conveniences . . . Also known as LUXURIES
![Page 10: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
VS.
![Page 11: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
*TRADE-OFFS
You can’t have it all (SCARCITY – remember?) so you have to
choose how to spend your money, time, and energy. These decisions involve
picking one thing over all the other possibilities – a TRADE-
OFF!
![Page 12: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
*Trade-Offs, cont.*What COULD you have done instead of come to school today?
*These are all Trade-Offs!
![Page 13: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
A special kind of Trade-Off is an
OPPORTUNITY COST =The Value of the Next Best
Choice
(Ex: Sleeping is the opportunity cost of studying for a test)
![Page 14: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
*Opportunity Costs*This is really IMPORTANT – when you choose to
do ONE thing, its value (how much it is worth) is measured by the value of the NEXT BEST CHOICE.*This can be in time, energy, or even MONEY
If I buy a pizza…
Then I can’t afford the movies…
What is the opportunity cost of buying pizza?
![Page 15: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
*Production*So how do we get all this “stuff” that we have to decide about?Decisions, decisions …
![Page 16: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
*PRODUCTION, cont.
*Production is how much stuff an individual, business, country, even the WORLD makes.
*But what is “STUFF”?
*STUFF – Goods and Services.
*Goods – tangible (you can touch it) products we can buy
*Services – work that is performed for others
![Page 17: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
*Which Factor of Production?
![Page 18: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
*Which Factor of Production?
![Page 19: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
*Which Factor of production?
![Page 20: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
*Which Factor of Production?
![Page 21: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
*THREE parts to the Production Process
*Factors of Production – what we need to make goods and services
*Producer – company that makes goods and/or delivers services
*Consumer – people who buy goods and services (formerly known as “stuff”)
![Page 22: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
*Production Possibilities
Frontier*A production possibilities curve can help examine the opportunity cost of production and consumption decisions.
* A PPC shows the different combinations of goods and services that can be produced with a given amount of resources.
![Page 23: Introduction to Economics](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022081520/568161d3550346895dd1d016/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
*Production Possibility FrontiersCars
Bicycles
Y1
X1
A
BY2
X2
Assume a country can produce two types of goods with its resources – Cars and Bicyles
If it devotes all resources to cars it could produce a maximum of Ym.If it devotes all its resources to bicycles it could produce a maximum of Xm
Ym
Xm
If the Nation is at point A on the PPC It can produce the combination of Y1 cars and X1 bicycles
If it reallocates its resources (moving round the PPC from A to B) it can produce more bicycles but only at the expense of fewer cars. The opportunity cost of producing an extra X1 – X2 bicycles is Y1 – Y2 cars.C
Any point inside the curve (C) – resources are not being utilized efficiently
D
Any point outside the curve (D) – not attainable with the current level of resources