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normative economic statement
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a statement that reflects an opinion, which cannot be proved or disproved by reference to the facts
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association-is-causation fallacy
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the incorrect idea that if two variables are associated in time, one must necessarily cause the other
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fallacy of composition
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the incorrect belief that what is true for the individual, or part, must necessarily be true for the group, or the whole
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secondary effects
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unintended consequences or economic actions that may develop slowly over time a people react to the events
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the scarcity principle
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"no free lunch" principle - someone always ends up paying for it
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cost-benefit analysis
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an action should only be taken if the benefit exceeds its cost - class size, walking downtown to buy a computer game
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opportunity cost
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the value of what must be forgone to undertake an activity - time of trip, movie vs. nap
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marginal cost
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the increase in total cost that results from carrying out one more unit of an activity
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marginal benefit
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the increase in total benefit that results from carrying out one additional unit of an activity
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law of comparative advantage
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the individual, firm, region, or country, with the lowest opportunity cost of producing a particular good should specialize in that good
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absolute advantage
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the ability to make something using fewer resources that other producers use
- Adam Smith - Wealth of Nations 1776
- Laissez-Faire, Theory of the Invisible Hand, Devision of Labor
- Adam Smith - Wealth of Nations 1776
- Laissez-Faire, Theory of the Invisible Hand, Devision of Labor
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comparative advantage
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the ability to make something at a lower opportunity cost than other producers face
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barter
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the direct exchange of one good for another without using money
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division of labor
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breaking down the production of a good into separate tasks (increases productivity)
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specialization of labor
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workers specialize at a task in the production process at which they are most efficient
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the production possibilities frontier
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a curve showing alternative combinations of goods that can be produced when available resources are used efficiently
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efficiency
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the condition that exists when there is no way resources can be reallocated to increase the production of one good w/o decreasing the production of another good (any point inside the PPF)
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inefficiency
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when resources are not employed efficiently
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unattainable
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cannot be achieved with the existing resources, technology, human capital, and/or rules of the game (any point outside the PPF)
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law of increasing opportunity cost
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to produce each additional increment of a good, a successively larger increment of an alternative good must be sacrificed if the economy resources are already being used efficiently
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economic growth
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an increase in the economy's ability to produce goods and services; an upward shift of the production possibilities frontier
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economic system
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a set of mechanisms and institutions that resolve what, how, and for whom questions
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pure capitalism
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an econ system characterized by the private ownership of resources and the use of prices to coordinate economic activity in unregulated markets
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mixed economy
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an econ stystem characterized by the private ownership of some resources and the public ownership of other resources; some markets are regulated, some aren't
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pure command system
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characterized by the public ownership of resources and centralized planning - ex: north korea
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command economies
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communism or dictatorships
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utility
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satisfaction received from consumption
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transfer payments
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cash or in-kind benefits given to individuals as outright grants from the government
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industrial revolution
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developments of large-scale factory production that began in great britian around 1750 and spread to europe, NA, and australia
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firms
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economic units formed by profit seeking entrepreneurs who use resources to produce goods and services for sale