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Glossary A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W 
Absolute Advantage
The ability to produce more units of a good or service than some other producer, using the same quantity of resources. Adaptive Expectations
Expectations about inflation or other economic events. Aggregate Demand (AD)
A schedule (or graph) that shows the value of output (real GDP) that would be demanded at different price levels.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Aggregate Supply (AS)
A schedule (or graph) that shows the value of output(real GDP) that would be produced at different price levels. In the long run, the schedule shows a constant level of real GDP at all price levels, determined by the economy's productive capacity at full employment. In the short run, the aggregate supply schedule may
show different levels of real GDP as the price level changes.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Alternative
One of many courses of action that might be taken in a given situation.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Assumptions
Beliefs or statements presupposed to be true.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Balance of Payments
The record of all transactions (in goods, services, physical and financial assets) between individuals, firms, and governments of one country with those in all other countries in a given year, expressed in monetary terms.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Balance of Trade
The part of a nation's balance of payments accounts that deals only with its imports and exports of goods (also called merchandise or 'visibles'). When 'invisibles,' or services, are added to the balance of trade, the result is a nation's balance on the current account section of its balance of payments. Barriers to Entry
Factors that restrict entry into an industry and give cost advantages to existing firms. Examples would include the large size of existing firms, control over an essential resource or information, and legal rights such as patents and licenses.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Barter
Trading a good or service directly for another good or service, without using money or credit. Benefit
The advantage(s) of a particular course of action as measured by good feeling, dollars, or number of items.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Bond
A contractual obligation to repay a specified amount of money in a specified amount of time, including a set rate of interest on the amount that is borrowed.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Budget
An element of financial planning where all income is listed and compared to all expenditures. Often expenditure decisions need to be made to hold spending less than or equal to income.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Budget Deficit
Refers to national budgets; occurs
when government spending is greater than government
income from taxes and tariffs in a given year.
A yearly deficit adds to the public debt.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Budget Surplus
Refers to national budgets; occurs
when government income is greater than government
spending in a given year.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Business Cycles
Fluctuations in the overall rate of national economic activity with alternating periods of expansion and contraction; these vary in duration and degrees of severity; usually measured by real gross domestic product (GDP). top ^
Capital
Resources and goods made and used to produce
other goods and services. Examples include
buildings, machinery, tools, and equipment.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Capital Account
Part of a nation's balance of payments accounts; records capital outflows -- i.e., expenditures made by the nation's residents to purchase physical capital and financial assets from the residents of foreign nations; also records capital inflows -- i.e., expenditures by residents of foreign nations to purchase physical capital and financial assets from residents of the nation in question.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Choice
Course of action taken when faced with a set of alternatives.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Collusion
An agreement between firms to fix prices
or engage in other activities to restrict competition
in an industry.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Command Economy
An economy in which most economic issues of production and distribution are resolved through central planning and control.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Comparative Advantage
The ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than some other producer. This is the economic basis for specialization and trade.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Competition
Attempts by two or more individuals or organizations to acquire the same goods, services, or productive and financial resources. Consumers compete with other consumers for goods and services. Producers compete with other producers for sales to consumers.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Complements
Goods and/or services that are often
consumed together; e.g., left and right socks, or
tennis rackets and tennis lessons.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Compound Interest
Interest that is earned not only on the principal but also on the interest already earned. Concentration Ratio
The percentage of total industry by the largest firms (generally four or eight) in an industry. The concentration ratio provides a measure of domination in an industry by a few firms and serves as a measure of whether an industry is an oligopoly.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A price index that measures the cost of a fixed basket of consumer goods and services and compares the cost of this basket in one time period with its cost in some base period. Changes in the CPI are used to measure inflation. Consumer Surplus
The difference between the price a
consumer would be willing to pay for a good or
service and what that consumer actually has to pay.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Consumers
People who use goods and services to satisfy their economic wants. Consumption
People who use goods and services to satisfy their economic wants.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Contractionary Fiscal Policy
A decrease in government spending and/or an increase in taxes designed to decrease aggregate demand in the economy andn control inflation.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Costs
The disadvantages of a particular course of action as measured by bad feeling, dollars, or numbers of items.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Credit
The opportunity to borrow money or to receive goods or services in return for a promise to pay later. Crowding-Out
Increased interest rates and decreased private investment caused by government borrowing.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Current Account
Part of a nation's balance of payments accounts; records exports and imports of goods and services, net investment income, and transfer payments with other countries.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Cyclical Unemployment
Unemployment caused by fluctuations in the overall rate of economic activity. See also Business cycles. top ^
Debt
Money owed to someone else. Also see Debt for individual and National debt.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Debt for Individual
Money a person owes to someone else, usually a financial institution. Deflation
A sustained decrease in the average price level of all the goods and services produced in the economy. Demand
A schedule (or graph) showing how many units of a good or service buyers are willing and able to buy at all possible prices during a period of time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Determinants of Demand
Factors other than the price that change (shift) the demand schedule, causing consumers to buy more or less at every price. Factors include income, number of consumers, preferences, and prices of related goods.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Determinants of Supply
Factors other than price that change (shift) the supply schedule, causing producers to supply more or less at every price. Factors include number of firms, production costs, and new technology.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Diminishing Marginal Utility
A widely observed relationship in which the additional satisfaction (marginal utility) associated with consuming additional units of the same product in a given amount of time eventually declines.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Distribution
The allocation or dividing up of the goods and services a society produces.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Division of Labor
An arrangement in which workers perform only one or a few steps in a larger production process (as when working on an assembly line). top ^
Economic Functions of Government
In a market economy, government agencies establish and maintain a legal system to regulate both commercial and social behavior, promote competition, respond to market failures by providing public goods and adjusting for externalities, redistribute income, and establish macroeconomic stabilization policies. To perform these functions, governments must shift resources from private uses by taxing and/or borrowing. Economic Growth
An increase in real output as measured by real GDP or per capita real GDP.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Economic Incentives
Factors that motivate and influence the behavior of individuals and organizations, including firms and government agencies. Prices, profits, and losses are important economic incentives in a market economy. Economic Profit
A firm's total revenue minus all explicit and implicit costs of production, including opportunity costs. Economic Systems
The institutional framework of formal and informal rules that a society uses to determine what to produce, how to produce, and how to distribute goods and services.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Economic Wants
Desires that can be satisfied by consuming a good or service.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Economics
The study of how people, firms, and societies choose to use scarce resources.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Economizing Behavior
Considering the costs and benefits of various alternatives and choosing the one with the greatest net benefits.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Elasticity
See Price elasticity of demand, Price elasticity of supply. Employment Rate
The percentage of the total population aged 16 or over that is employed. See also Unemployment rate.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Entrepreneurship
A characteristic of people who assume the risk of organizing productive resources to produce goods and services; a resource.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Equilibrium Price
The price at which the quantity demanded by buyers equals the quantity supplied by sellers; also called the market-clearing price.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Equilibrium Quantity
The quantity demanded and quantity supplied at the equilibrium or market-clearing price. Exchange
Trading a good or service for another good or service, or for money.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Exchange Rate
The price of one nation's currency in terms of another nation's currency. Expansionary Fiscal Policy
An increase in government spending and/or a decrease in taxes designed to increase aggregate demand in the economy, thus increasing real output and decreasing
unemployment.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Exports
Goods and services produced in one nation and sold to consumers in other nations.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Externalities
Economic side effects or third-party effects, in which some of the benefits or costs associated with the production or consumption of a product affect someone other than the direct producer or consumer of the product.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Federal Reserve
The central bank of the United States. Its main function is controlling the money supply through monetary policy.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Financial Planning
Setting short-, medium-, and long-range goals; then collecting and analyzing income and expenditure information to determine how to meet one's goals. Firms
Economic units that demand productive resources from households and supply goods and services to households and government agencies. Fiscal Policy
Changes in the expenditures or tax revenues of the federal government, undertaken to promote full employment, price stability, and reasonable rates of economic growth.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Fixed Costs (FC)
Costs of production that do not change as a firm's output level changes. See also Variable costs. Fixed Expenses
Expenditures that are the same from week to week or month to month, such as mortgage or rent payments and car payments. Foreign Exchange Market
Market where demand for and supply of foreign currencies determines exchange rates.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Fractional Reserve Banking System
Under such a system, banks are required to hold only a specified fraction of each depositor's money. The rest can be lent out, thus "creating money."
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Free Rider
One who enjoys the benefits of a good or service without paying for it.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Future Consequences
Costs and/or benefits of a choice that will be paid or gained at a later time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Goods
Tangible objects that satisfy economic wants. Government Failure
Policy and budget choices by government officials that result in inefficiency.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Government Spending
Spending by all levels of government on goods and services; includes categories like military, schools, and roads.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a calendar year.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Heterogeneous Products
Products (goods or services)that are differentiated by real or imagined differences in quality or other features, such as color, taste, styling, warranties, or complementary services provided to those who buy the products. See also Homogeneous products. Homogeneous Products
Products (goods or services)are identical, with no differentiating features. See also Heterogeneous products. Households
Individuals and family units that buy goods and services (as consumers) and sell or rent productive resources (as resource owners). Human Capital
The health, education, experience, training, and skills of people.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Hyperinflation
A very rapid rise in the overall price level.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Imperfect Competition
Any market structure in which firms are not price takers, but instead must seek the price and output levels that maximize their profits. See also Perfect competition. Implicit Price Deflator
A price index that compares the prices of all the goods and services produced in the current-year gross domestic product (GDP) to the price levels that prevailed for those same goods and services in an earlier year or years. The implicit price deflator is used to adjust values of nominal or current-price GDP to obtain values for the real GDP. See also Consumer price index. Imports
Purchases of foreign goods and services; the opposite of Exports.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Incentive
Any reward or benefit, such as money or good feeling, that motivates choices and behaviors.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Income
Payments earned by households for selling or renting their productive resources. For example, workers receive wage or salary payments in exchange for their labor.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Income Inequality
The unequal distribution of an economy's total income among people or families.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Inflation
A rise in the general or average price level of all the goods and services produced in an economy.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Interdependence
A situation in which decisions made by one person affect decisions made by other people, or events in one part of the world or sector of the economy affect other parts of the world or other sectors of the economy.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Interest
Payments for the use of real or financial capital over some period of time; paid by those who use the resources to those who own them, as in mortgage
payments paid by a borrower to a lender.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Investment
Purchase of capital goods (including machinery, technology, or new buildings) used to make consumer goods and services.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Invisible Hand
A figure of speech representing the idea that firms and individuals making decisions in their own self-interest will at the same time create economic order and promote society's interests; coined by Adam Smith.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Keynesian Theory
The macroeconomic theory holding that business cycles are caused by changes in aggregate demand and that such cycles can and should be influenced by fiscal and monetary policy undertaken to promote economic stability.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Labor
The quantity and quality of human effort available to produce goods and services.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Labor Force
The people in a nation who are aged 16 or over and are employed or actively looking for work.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Land
"Gifts of nature" that can be used to produce goods and services; for example, oceans, air, mineral deposits, virgin forests, and actual fields of land. When investments are made to improve fields of land or other natural resources, those resources become, in part, capital resources. Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns
Describes a phenomenon observed in all short-run production processes, when at least one input (usually capital)is fixed. As more and more units of a variable input (usually labor) are added to the fixed input, the
additional (marginal) output associated with each increase in units of the variable input will eventually decline. In other words, successive
increases in a variable factor of production added
to fixed factors of production will result in smaller
increases in output.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Loanable Funds Market
Market in which the supply and demand for money, in the form of bank deposits and loans, determine the interest rate.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Macroeconomic Equilibrium
The equilibrium level of output and the price level where aggregate demand equals aggregate supply.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Macroeconomics
The study of economics concerned with the economy as a whole, involving aggregate demand, aggregate supply, and monetary and fiscal policy. Marginal Analysis
A decision-making tool for comparing the additional or marginal benefits of a course of action to the additional or marginal costs.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Marginal Benefit
The additional gain from consuming or producing one more unit; can be measured in dollars or satisfaction. Marginal Cost
The change in a producer's total cost when output is increased by one unit; can be measured in dollars or negative feeling.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Marginal Revenue (MR)
The change in a producer's total revenues when one additional unit of output is sold.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Market Economy
An economy that relies on a system of interdependent market prices to allocate goods, services, and productive resources and to coordinate the diverse plans of consumers and producers, all of them following their own self-interests.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Market Failures
The systematic overproduction or underproduction of some goods and services that would occur in an unregulated market system when problems such as public goods, externalities, or imperfect competition are present. Market Structure
The degree of competition in a market, ranging from many buyers and sellers to few or even single buyers or sellers. Markets
Places, institutions, or technological arrangements
where or by means of which goods or services are exchanged.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Microeconomics
Places, institutions, or technological arrangements
where or by means of which goods or services are exchanged. Monetarist Theory
A macroeconomic theory holding that the main cause of changes in the business cycle are changes in money supply.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Monetary Policy
Changes in the supply of money and the availability of credit initiated by a nation's central bank to promote price stability, full employment, and reasonable rates of economic growth.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Money
Anything that is generally accepted as final payment for goods and services; serves as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account; allows people to compare the relative economic value of different goods and services.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Money Supply
Narrowly defined by economists as currency in the hands of the public plus checking-type deposits; also called M1.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Monopolistic Competition
A market structure in which slightly differentiated products are sold by a large number of relatively small producers, and where the barriers to new firms entering the market are low.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Monopoly
A market structure in which a single seller produces sells all the units of a good or service in a particular market, and where the barriers to new firms entering the market are very high.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Multiplier Effect
The idea that a small increase in spending by consumers, businesses, or government can cause large changes in economic production. The multiplier also works in reverse when spending decreases.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
National Debt
The total amount owed by the national government to those from whom it has borrowed to finance the accumulated difference between annual budget deficits and annual budget surpluses; also called public debt. Natural Resources
"Gifts of nature" that can be used to produce goods and services; for example, oceans, air, mineral deposits, virgin forests, and actual fields of land. When investments are made to improve fields of land or other natural resources, those resources become, in part, capital resources.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Net Exports
Exports minus imports.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » New Classical Theory
A macroeconomic theory holding that government policies will have a limited effect on the business cycle since individuals and firms will take government policies into account when making decisions. Non-price Competition
Competition by firms trying to attract customers by methods other than reducing prices; examples include advertising and promotional gifts.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Nonexclusion
A property of certain goods and services such that (once the goods or services are provided) they cannot be denied to or withheld from people who have not paid for the goods or services; examples include street lights or national defense.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Normal Rate of Profit
Profits just high enough to compensate producers for the explicit and implicit costs (including opportunity costs) they incur in producing a particular good or service, without leading to any net entry or exit by producers in that market. Also called normal profits. Normal profits are an economic cost of production; they mark a point at which any lower level of profit would lead a producer to pursue some other use of his or her resources. top ^
Oligopoly
A market structure in which a few, relatively large firms account for all or most of the production or sales of a good or service in a particular market, and where barriers to new firms entering the market are very high. Some oligopolies produce homogeneous products; others produce heterogeneous products.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Opportunity Cost
The forgone benefit of the next best alternative that must be given up when scarce resources are used for one purpose instead of another.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Perfect Competition
A market structure in which a large number of relatively small firms produce and sell identical products and where and there are no significant barriers to entry into or exit from the industry. Firms in perfect competition are price takers and in the long run will earn only normal profits. See also Imperfect competition. Personal Distribution of Income
A classification of the income received by individuals or families; shows the number of people in various income categories, ranging from those receiving the highest level of income to those receiving the lowest Poverty
The state of being poor, variously defined. Sometimes defined relatively -- by reference, for example, to the average household income in a nation or region. Sometimes defined absolutely -- by reference, for example, to the income needed to provide for adequate food, housing, and clothing in a nation or region.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Price
The amount of money that people pay when they buy a good or service; the amount they receive when they sell a good or service.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Price Ceiling
A legally established maximum price for a good or service. Price Elasticity of Demand
The responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good or service to changes in its price. The price elasticity of demand is the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price. Price Elasticity of Supply
The responsiveness of the quantity supplied of a good or service to changes in its price. The price elasticity of supply is the percentage change in quantity supplied divided by the percentage change in price. Price Floor
A legally established minimum price for a good or service. Price Level
The weighted average of the prices of all goods and services in an economy; used to calculate inflation. See also Consumer price index.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Private Good
A good that provides benefits only to the purchaser.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Producer Surplus
The difference between what a supplier is paid for a good or service and what it costs to supply the good or service. Added to Consumer surplus, it provides a measure of the total economic benefit of a sale.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Producers
People and firms that use resources to make goods and services. Production Possibilities Frontier
A table or graph that shows the full employment capacity of an economy in the form of possible combinations of two goods, or two bundles of goods, that could be produced with a given amount of productive resources and level of technology. Productivity
A ratio of output (goods and services) per unit of input (factors of production) per unit of time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Profit
Income received for entrepreneurial skills and risk taking, calculated by subtracting all of a firm's explicit and implicit costs from its total revenues.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Property Rights
Legal protection for the boundaries and possession of property. Assigning of property rights to individuals, collectives, or governments will depend on the economic system.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Public Goods
Goods for which use by one person does not reduce the quantity of the good available for others to use, and for which consumption can not be limited to those who pay for the good. Public-Choice Analysis
The study of decision making as it affects the organization and operation of government and other collective organizations. Involves the application of economic principles to political science topics. Purchasing Power
The amount of goods and services that a monetary unit of income can buy.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Quantity Demanded
The amount of a good or service a consumer will buy at a given price in a given period of time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Quantity Supplied
The amount of a good or service a producer will sell at a given price in a given period of time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Quotas
In international trade, limits on the quantity of a product that may be imported or exported, established by government laws or regulations; in command economies, more typically a production target assigned by government planning agencies to the producers of a good or service. top ^
Rational Expectations
Expectations about the future rate of inflation or other economic events that people form using all available information, including predictions about the effect of present and future policy actions by the government. Rational Expectations Theory
A branch of New Classical theory which holds that firms and individuals have rational expectations about the economy and government policies and thus may pursue their own interests in such a way as to render those policies ineffective. Rational Ignorance
A decision not to obtain information about political issues or candidates because the costs of doing so outweigh the benefits.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
GDP measured in dollars of constant purchasing power. The measure is obtained by adjusting nominal GDP (GDP measured in current prices) by an appropriate price index -- usually the implicit price deflator. Often used as a measure of economic activity. Real Interest Rates
The nominal (posted) interest rate minus the rate of inflation. Recession
A decline in the rate of national economic activity, usually measured by a decline in real GDP for at least two consecutive quarters (i.e., six months). Resources
The three (or four) basic kinds of resources used to produce goods and services: land or natural resources, human resources (including labor and entrepreneurship), and capital.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Salaries
Payments for labor resources; unlike wages, not explicitly based on the number of hours worked. See also Wages. Savings
Setting aside income, or money, for a future use.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Scarcity
The condition that exists when human wants exceed the capacity of available resources to satisfy those wants; also a situation in a resource has more than one valuable use. The problem of scarcity faces all individuals and organizations, including firms and government agencies.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Secondary Effects
Effects indirectly related to a course of action whose influence will only be seen or felt later in time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Secured Debt
Credit with collateral (a house or a car, e.g.) for the lender.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Services
Activities performed by people, firms, or government agencies to satisfy economic wants. Shared Consumption
A property of a good or service such that it can be used by many without diminishing another's ability to consume the same good; examples include street lights or radio broadcasts.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Shortage
The situation that results when the quantity demanded for a product exceeds the quantity supplied. Generally happens because the price of the product is below the market equilibrium price.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Special Interest Group
An organization of people with a particular legislative concern. They work together to gather information, lobby politicians, and publicize their concern. Specialization
A situation in which people produce a narrower range of goods and services than they consume. Specialization increases productivity; it also requires trade and it increases interdependence.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Substitute
A good or service that may be used in place of another good or service; examples include tap water for bottled water (or vice versa) and movies for concerts (or vice versa).
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Supply
A schedule (or graph) showing how many units of a good or service producers are willing and able to sell at all possible prices during a period of time.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Supply-Side Fiscal Policy
Policy intended to increase an economy's productive capacity by shifting aggregate supply; e.g., a tax cut giving businesses an incentive to invest and expand.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Surplus
The situation that results when the quantity supplied of a product exceeds the quantity demanded. Generally happens because the price of the product is above the market equilibrium price.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Tariff
A tax on an imported good or service. Taxes
Compulsory payments to governments by households and businesses.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Total Cost (TC)
All costs associated with producing a good of service; the sum of fixed costs plus variable costs.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Total Revenue (TR)
All money received from selling a good or service; the price times the quantity sold of each item.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Trade
Voluntary exchange of goods and services for money or other goods and services.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Traditional Economy
An economy in which customs and habits from the past are used to resolve most economic issues of production and distribution. Tragedy of the Commons
Overuse or misuse of a commonly-owned resource, such as public grazing land or fishing waters.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Transaction Costs
Costs associated with buying or selling goods and services that are not included in the money prices of those goods and services. Examples include obtaining information on prices and product quality, searching for sellers, and bargaining costs. Transfer Payments
Payments for which no goods or services are provided in return. Examples of government transfer payments include social security payments and unemployment insurance payments. top ^
Unemployment
Unemployment exists when people who want to work in jobs they are qualified to do at current wage rates are not able to find jobs, or are waiting to begin a new job, or are actively looking for work but do not have the skills required to fill the jobs that are currently available.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Unemployment Rate
The percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Unsecured Debt
Debt without collateral; credit card debt, for example.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » Utility
An abstract measure of the satisfaction consumers derive from consuming goods, services, and leisure activities.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Variable Costs (VC)
Costs that change as a firm's level of output changes. See also Fixed costs. Voluntary Trade
See Trade.
View Capstone Lesson(s) that address this concept » top ^
Wage
Payments for labor services that are directly tied to time worked, or to the number of units of output produced. |
