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Introduction to Economics
What is Economics?
Scarcity a basic human dilemma
Limited resources vs. unlimited wants
The human condition requires making choices
Definitions of Economics
Mankiws definition
is the study of how society manages its scarce resources
Hedricks definition
is how society chooses to allocate its scarce resources among
competing demands to improve human welfare
Alternative definitions
what economists do.
is the study of choice.
WHFM Questions
Economic Themes
SSEF1. The student will explain why limited
productive resources and unlimited wants
result in scarcity, opportunity costs, and
tradeoffs for individuals, businesses, and
government.
Scarcity
SSEF1a Define scarcity as a basic condition
that exists when unlimited wants exceed
limited productive resources.
Economics
Big
Picture
http://www.econedlink.org/interactives/index.php?
iid=196&type=educator
economics The study of how people try to satisfy what
appears to be seemingly unlimited and competing
wants through the careful use of relatively scarce
resources
scarcity The condition that results from society not
having enough resources to produce all the things
people would like to have
NOTE: Scarce does not mean rare!
want desire to obtain something
http://www.econedlink.org/interactives/index.php?
iid=194&type=educator
Rational Behavior
Weighing benefits and costs and maximizing total net benefits
Marginal vs. Total Thinking
Resources
Resources are things which humans can put
to productive use, including money, people,
time, information, machines, and natural
resources.
Natural resources are all of the gifts of
nature, both renewable and
nonrenewable.
Allocating Resources
SSEF1c List a variety of strategies for
allocating scare resources.
Opportunity Cost
SSEF1d Define opportunity cost as the next
best alternative given up when individuals,
businesses, and governments confront
scarcity by making decisions.
http://www.econedlink.org/interactives/index.php?
iid=190&type=educator
Normative Economics
Prescriptive - what the world ought to be like
Subjective value judgments must be made
Normative statements cannot be tested appealing to
facts.
.
Principle #4 People respond to incentives
Reactions to changes in marginal benefits and costs
Increases (decreases) in marginal benefits mean more
(less) of an activity
Increases (decreases) in marginal costs mean less
(more) of an activity
Example of seat belts leading to increased speeds
Example of SUV (with child car seat) in Issaquah
Markets
Principles 1-5 combine with markets to turn the pursuit
of self-interest into promoting the interests of society
Adam Smith and the invisible hand
creativity and productivity are stimulated by the pursuit
of self-interest into improving resource allocations
set it and forget it becomes compete or be obsolete
in some cases markets fail to allocate resources
effectively so,