RATIONAL ABSTENTION: The decision not to do something because the cost of doing it is more than the expected benefit. While this is a common part of everyday life, it's particularly important for voting. During a given election, a number of potential voters are likely to chose NOT to vote because they expect to get little or no benefit from doing so.

     See also | information | opportunity cost | principal-agent problem | rational ignorance | public choice |

RATIONAL ABSTENTION, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: August 10, 2026].

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Classical economics, especially as directed toward macroeconomics, relies on three key assumptions--flexible prices, Say's law, and saving-investment equality. Flexible prices ensure that markets adjust to equilibrium and eliminate shortages and surpluses. Say's law states that supply creates its own demand and means that enough income is generated by production to purchase the resulting production. The saving-investment equality ensures that any income leaked from consumption into saving is replaced by an equal amount of investment. Although of questionable realism, these three assumptions imply that the economy would operate at full employment.

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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time waiting for visits from door-to-door solicitors looking to buy either a birthday greeting card for your aunt or a wall poster commemorating the moon landing. Be on the lookout for slow moving vehicles with darkened windows.
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