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Economics is primarily the study of
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how agents choose to allocate scarce resources and how choices affect society
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An increase in government expenditure will lead to an increase in well-being. Positive or Normative
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Normative
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John has to choose between two jobs one that offers him $50 per hour and $35 per hour. The opportunity cost of choosing the job that offers him $50 per hour is
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$35 per hour
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The term "free riders" refers to people who:
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Don't contribute but still benefit from others' actions
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True or False: Testing with data is essential to develop a good theory?
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True
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_________ is the study of how individuals, households, governments, and firms and make choices and how those choices affect prices, the allocation of resources, and well-being of other agents.
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Microeconomics
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What is a key property of models?
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All economic models begin with assumptions
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Scenario: A model is based on an assumption that an additional year of education increases a student's future wage by 20%. The hypothesis of this model is that:
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College graduates will earn 107 percent more than high school graduates
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Causation occurs when:
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Change in one variable is the reason for the change in another variable
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When two variables move in opposite directions, they are said to be:
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Negatively correlated
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A research on the effect of air pollution on lung disorders by observing the health conditions of people who stay close to industrial areas and those who stay away from industries is and example of
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Natural Experiment
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Which of the following is a property of a good economic question
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A good economic question can be answered.
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Gary has to decide between attending a two-day art workshop and a four-day art workshop. If he evaluates only the change in net benefit when he switches between the two options, he is using the technique of:
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optimizations in differences.
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If an individual's opportunity cost of commute is $300 per month and his monthly commuting time is 60 hours, his opportunity cost of time is
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$5 per hour
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Among a set of alternatives with the same total costs, an individual is said to optimize if she chooses an alternative that has the;
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Highest total benefit
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In a marketplace, prices
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act as incentives which allow for the efficient allocation of resources
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A seller who is a price-taker charges:
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the market price
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The demand schedule for a commodity illustrates how the consumption of a commodity changes with changes in:
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Its price
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The law of demand states that
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The quantity demanded a commodity varies inversely with the price of the commodity
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which factors is expected to cause the demand curve for coffee to shift to the right
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A higher tax on the sale of tea, a substitute for coffee
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The __________ plots the relationship between prices and the quantity producers are willing to sell.
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Supply curve
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P or N. A fall in incomes will lead to a rise in demand for private-label (great value) supermarket foods.
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Positive
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If the government raises the tax on beer, this will lead to a fall in profits of the brewers.
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Positive
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Pollution is the most serious economic problem
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Normative
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Unemployment is more harmful than inflation
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Normative
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The rising of crude oil on world markets will lead to an increase in cycling to work.
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Positive
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The retirement age should be raised to 70 to combat the effects of our ageing population
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Normative
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A reduction in income tax will improve the incentives of the unemployed to find work.
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Positive
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Higher interest rates will reduce house prices
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Positive
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The government is right to introduce a ban on smoking in public places
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Normative
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Resources are best allocated by allowing the market mechanism to work freely.
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Normative
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Economics
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is the study of people's choices
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1st principle optimize
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try to choose the best available option with given information
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2nd principle equilibrium
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situation where no one benefits by changing his or her behavior
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3rd principle empiricism
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analysis that uses data
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Economic Agent
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Any group or individual that makes choices, such as consumers, firms, parents, and politicians
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Scarce
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not about having enough but about allocating. Satisfying people's wants
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economics
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Studies how agents make choices among scarce resources and how those choices affect society
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Positive Economics
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Analysis that generates objective descriptions or predictions about the world that can be verified with data
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Normative Economics
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analysis that prescribes what an individual or society ought to do
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Microeconomics
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the study of individuals, firms, and government
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Macroeconomics
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The study of whole economy
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Free Rider Problem
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Exists when an individual or group is able to enjoy the benefits of situation without incurring the costs
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Model is
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simplified description of reality
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Scientific method is composed of two steps
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1. Developing models that explain some part of the world
2. Testing those models using data to see how closely the model matches what we actual observed
2. Testing those models using data to see how closely the model matches what we actual observed
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Causation is
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when one thing directly effects another
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Correlation is
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when two things are related f
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Positive Correlation
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they both change is same direction
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Negative Correlation
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They both change in opposite directions
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Controlled Experiments
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Subjects are randomly put into treatment (something happens) and control (nothing happens) groups by the researcher.
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Natural Experiments
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Subjects end up in treatment or control groups due to something that is not purposefully determined by the researcher.
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Omitted Variables
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If we ignore something that contributes to cause and effect
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Reverse causality
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When there is a cause and effect but it goes in the opposite direction as what we thought
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Two properties of good economic question
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Relevant and important
Can be answered
Can be answered
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When an economic agents chooses the best feasible option
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she is optimizing
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Optimization in levels
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calculates the total net benefit of different alternatives and then chooses the best alternative
look at total benefit - total cost
look at total benefit - total cost
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Optimization in differences
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calculates the change in net benefits when a person switches from one alternative to another, and then uses these marginal comparisons to choose the best alternative
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Optimization in levels and differences
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result in identical answers
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Optimization in levels
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1. express all costs and benefits in the same unit
2. calculate total net benefit (benefit - costs) for each option
3. choose the best option with the highest net benefit
2. calculate total net benefit (benefit - costs) for each option
3. choose the best option with the highest net benefit
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Principle of Optimization in Margin
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if an option is the best choice, you will be made better off as you move towards it, and worse off as you move away from it.
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Optimizing in differences
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1. express all costs and benefits in same unit
2. calculate how the costs and benefits change as you move from one option to another
3. apply the principle of optimization at the margin. choose the option that makes you better off by moving towards it and worse off by moving away from it
2. calculate how the costs and benefits change as you move from one option to another
3. apply the principle of optimization at the margin. choose the option that makes you better off by moving towards it and worse off by moving away from it
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the market price is
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the price at which buyers and sellers conduct transactions
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Perfectly competitive market
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every buyer pays and every seller charges the same market price, and no buyer or seller is big enough to influence that market price and all sellers sell an identical good or service
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Quantity Demand
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the amount of a good that buyers are willing to purchase at given price
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Demand Schedule
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A table that reports the quantity demanded at different prices holding all else equal.
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Demand Curve
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plots the quantity demand at different prices
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Market Demand Curve
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sum of the individual demand curves of all the potential buyers
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Shifts in demand curves are
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1. tastes and preferences
2. income and wealth
3. availability and prices of related goods
4. number and scale of buyers
5. buyer's expectations about the future
2. income and wealth
3. availability and prices of related goods
4. number and scale of buyers
5. buyer's expectations about the future
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Quantity Supplied
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the amount of a good that sellers are willing to sell at a given price
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Supply Schedule
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table that reports the quantity supplied at different prices
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Supply Curve
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plots the quantity supplied at different price
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Market supply curve
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plots the relationship between the total quantity supplied and the market price holding all else equal
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Shifts in supply curve caused by
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1. input prices
2. technology
3. number and scales of sellers
4. seller's expectations about the future
2. technology
3. number and scales of sellers
4. seller's expectations about the future
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Competitive equilibrium
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the point at which the market comes to an agreement about what the price will be and how much will be exchanged
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Excess Demand
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occurs when consumers want more than suppliers provide and given price (shortage)
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Excess Supply
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More than consumers want at given price (surplus)
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Change in supply:
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a shift in the S curve
occurs when a non-price determinant of
supply changes (like technology or costs)
occurs when a non-price determinant of
supply changes (like technology or costs)
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Change in the quantity supplied:
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a movement along a fixed S curve
occurs when P changes
occurs when P changes
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Change in demand:
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a shift in the D curve
occurs when a non-price determinant of
demand changes (like income or # of buyers)
occurs when a non-price determinant of
demand changes (like income or # of buyers)
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Change in the quantity demanded:
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a movement along a fixed D curve
occurs when P changes
occurs when P changes