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THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM: Another term for scarcity, which is the pervasive condition of human existence that exists because society has unlimited wants and needs, but limited resources used for their satisfaction. In other words, while we all want a bunch of stuff, we can't have everything that we want (see free lunch). In slightly different words, this scarcity problem means: (1) that there's never enough resources to produce everything that everyone would like produced; (2) that some people will have to do without some of the stuff that they want or need; (3) that doing one thing, producing one good, performing one activity, forces society to give up something else; and (4) that the same resources can not be used to produce two different goods at the same time. We live in a big, bad world of scarcity. This big, bad world of scarcity is what the study of economics is all about. That's why we usually subtitle scarcity: THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM.
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Lesson 10: Utility and Demand | Unit 5: Beyond Demand
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Page: 20 of 21
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- For me to buy a good, someone must be selling.
- Here's a quick comparison of the demand and supply decisions.
- Consumers generate utility by consuming goods. Producers generate profit by producing goods.
- Consumers seek to maximize utility. Producers seek to maximize profit.
- Consumers make decisions based on marginal utility. Producers make decisions based on marginal product.
- Consumption decisions are guided by the law of diminishing marginal utility. Production decisions are guided by the law of diminishing marginal returns.
- Consumers buy more at lower prices because marginal utility is less. Producers sell more at higher prices because marginal product is less.
- Consumers make decisions that marginal benefits with marginal costs. Producers make decisions that balance marginal benefits with marginal costs.
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EXPANSION A phase of the business cycle characterized by a general period of rising economic activity. An expansion is one of two basic business cycle phases. The other is contraction. The transition from expansion to contraction is termed a peak and the transition from contraction to expansion is termed a trough. The early phase of an expansion is commonly termed a recovery.
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PURPLE SMARPHIN
[What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time searching the newspaper want ads seeking to buy either a travel case for you toothbrush or a looseleaf notebook binder. Be on the lookout for vindictive digital clocks with revenge on their minds.
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Two and a half gallons of oil are needed to produce one automobile tire.
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"Lead the life that will make you kindly and friendly to everyone about you, and you will be surprised what a happy life you will lead." -- Charles M. Schwab
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GSP
Gross State Product, Generalized System of Preferences
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