ch. 12 hw
According to real business cycle theory, the economic impact of changing input prices is similar to the economic impact from ____________. A. sentiment changes. B. technology changes. C. changes in monetary factors. D. multipliers.
B. technology changes.
In the United States, recessions are usually defined as ____________. A. two consecutive months of negative growth in real GDP. B. two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real GDP. C. any period of negative growth in real GDP. D. two consecutive quarters of negative growth in nominal GDP.
B. two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real GDP.
The Internet boom of the 1990s transformed the way business is conducted and dramatically increased worker productivity. Using the graph on the right, show the effect of the Internet boom on the labor demand curve in an economy, including the effects of multipliers. 1.) Using the line drawing tool, show the new labor demand curve prior to the effects of any multipliers. Label your line 'D Subscript 2.' 2.) Using the line drawing tool, show the new labor demand curve after the effects of multipliers. Label your line 'D Subscript 3.' 3.) Using the point drawing tool, locate the equilibrium point. Label your point 'e3.'
The immediate effect is a rightward shift in labor demand from D1 to D2, and after multiplier effect, labor demand further rises from D2 to D3.
If an economic shock decreases labor demand, equilibrium employment ____________ and real GDP ____________.
falls falls
Suppose an economy has been growing for the last five quarters. It is more likely to _____________ in the next quarter.
grow
Real _______________ growth tends to be more volatile than real ________________ growth.
investment consumption
The final equilibrium will be a
trough
The pandemic of 2020 affected firms' willingness to hire workers, initially shifting the labor demand curve sharply to the left. Using the graph provided, work out the consequences of this labor demand shift on an economy with a downward rigid wage. 1) Using the line drawing tool, draw the new labor demand curve that reflects the impact of the onset of the pandemic described above. Label the line as 'LD2'. 2) Using the point drawing tool, indicate the new equilibrium in the labor market. Label the point as 'E2'.
When the demand for labor decreases and supply is constant the wage rate will remains constant and quantity of labour will decline in the market.
The post-recession wage is ___________ the pre-recession wage.
above
Recessions are periods in which the economy ___________, while economic expansions are defined as the periods _____________.
contracts between recessions
Some of the variables tracked by the index are: i. The average weekly hours worked by manufacturing workers ii. The average number of initial applications for unemployment insurance iii. The amount of new orders for capital goods unrelated to defense iv. The amount of new building permits for residential buildings v. The S&P 500 stock index vi. Consumer sentiment The average weekly hours worked by manufacturing workers is likely to be ________________ with real GDP. The average number of initial applications for unemployment insurance is likely to be __________________ with real GDP. The amount of new orders for capital goods unrelated to defense is likely to be __________________ with real GDP. The amount of new building permits for residential buildings is likely to be ___________________ with real GDP. The S&P 500 stock index is likely to be ___________________ with real GDP. Consumer sentiment is l
positively correlated negatively correlated positively correlated positively correlated positively correlated positively correlated
Classify the following examples based on whether they were ideas proposed by the Keynesian theory or by financial and monetary theories. Assume that there exists a downward wage rigidity. 1. Firm X expects a rise in the demand for their output in the future; they will increase their employment now. 2. A stock market rise in country B leads to an increase in consumer confidence, employment, and production. These events reinforce themselves and the virtuous cycle continues. 3. An expansionary monetary policy increases the money supply in country A, which in turn leads to a fall in the unemployment and a rise in real GDP. 4. Three major national banks of country Y fail, which ultimately leads to a fall in the country's real GDP and employment. 5. Country Z is in a recession. It will remain in this state until the government stimulates aggregate demand.
1. Keynesian 2. Keynesian 3. Financial / Monetary 4. Financial / Monetary 5. Keynesian
Suppose country X suffers from a recession. Identify the mechanisms responsible for labor demand's medium run recovery from the recession in the following examples. 1. A toy company's excess inventories get sold off. 2. Interest rates are lowered by 1.5 percentage points to attract investment. 3. The employees- of firms which had to shut down -find other jobs. 4. Corporate taxes in the country are decreased by 5 percentage points. 5. A rise in overall inflation due to an expansionary monetary policy raises the price of firm Z's cars. 6. Researchers develop a cheaper method of manufacturing steel.
1. Market forces 2. Government policies 3. Market forces 4. Government policies 5. Government policies 6. Market forces
Keynes's theory of multipliers involved an element of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Which of the following illustrates the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy? A. Firms expect an increase in demand in the future and so hire additional workers now, which leads to an increase in consumption demand. B. The Federal Reserve increases interest rates, which leads to lower business investment and hiring. C. The government expects a war to occur and so increases spending on military equipment, which leads to increased labor demand. D. Labor demand decreases due to a recession in Europe and a reduction in exports from the United States, which causes U.S. consumption to drop and thus leads to additional decreases in labor demand.
A. Firms expect an increase in demand in the future and so hire additional workers now, which leads to an increase in consumption demand.
What happens when the labor demand curve eventually shifts back out to the right as the economy starts to recover? Does the rightward shift in the labor demand curve raise wages? A. It does not raise wages until the labor demand exceeds its pre-pandemic level. B. It does raise wages until labor demand reaches its pre-pandemic level, then wages stabilize. C. It causes a decrease in wage rates until labor demand reaches its pre-pandemic level, then wages stabilize. D. It causes a decrease in wage rates until labor demand reaches its pre-pandemic level, then wages begin to rise.
A. It does not raise wages until the labor demand exceeds its pre-pandemic level.
What are the important mechanisms that reverse the effects of a recession in a modern economy? (Check all that apply.) A. Labor demand increases due to expansionary government policies. B. Labor supply increases due to an increase in real wages. C. Labor demand increases due to market forces. D. The multipliers on wages and employment return to normal.
A. Labor demand increases due to expansionary government policies. C. Labor demand increases due to market forces.
Using your answer above, how does a pendulum-like structure contradict this property in economic fluctuations? A. Pendulums swing in an easily-measured rhythm that would make predicting fluctuations simple. B. Pendulums eventually come to a stop, which is not the case with an economy. C. There is no beginning or end to a pendulum swing, unlike with economic booms and busts. D. Unlike the economy, a pendulum has a maximum and minimum point that constrains the frequency of swings.
A. Pendulums swing in an easily-measured rhythm that would make predicting fluctuations simple.
Based on your graphical analysis what is the change in equilibrium employment and the change in the number of unemployed workers. A. The equilibrium employment level decreased and the number of unemployed workers increased. B. The equilibrium employment level increased and the number of unemployed workers decreased. C. The equilibrium employment level decreased and the number of unemployed workers decreased. D. The equilibrium employment level increased and the number of unemployed workers increased.
A. The equilibrium employment level decreased and the number of unemployed workers increased.
What does it mean to say that an economic fluctuation involves the co-movement of many aggregate macroeconomic variables? A. These variables grow or contract together during booms and recessions. B. Economic fluctuations in one period lead to movement of these variables in the next period. C. Real variables move in the same direction as the economic fluctuation, whereas nominal variables move opposite. D. These variables grow during booms and contract during recessions.
A. These variables grow or contract together during booms and recessions.
Which of the following statements correctly describe co-movements that are historically observed in the data? (Check all that apply.) A. Unemployment moves negatively with real GDP. B. Real consumption moves negatively with real investment. C. Real consumption moves positively with real investment. D. Unemployment moves positively with real GDP.
A. Unemployment moves negatively with real GDP. C. Real consumption moves positively with real investment.
If oil, which is a major input to most production processes, abruptly jumps in price, the impact on the economy would be similar to ____________. A. a productivity decrease, with a resultant decrease in real GDP. B. an economic multiplier increase, with a resultant increase in real GDP. C. an economic multiplier decrease, with a resultant decrease in real GDP. D. a productivity increase, with a resultant increase in real GDP.
A. a productivity decrease, with a resultant decrease in real GDP.
Contractionary monetary policy can lead to an economy-wide recession through ____________. (Check all that apply.) A. a reduction in the price level, leading to a reduction in employment because of downward wage rigidity. B. a reduction in the real interest rate, leading to a decrease in production costs and therefore lower demand for labor. C. an increase in the price level, leading to a reduction in employment because of downward wage rigidity. D. an increase in the real interest rate, leading to an increase in production costs and therefore lower demand for labor.
A. a reduction in the price level, leading to a reduction in employment because of downward wage rigidity. D. an increase in the real interest rate, leading to an increase in production costs and therefore lower demand for labor.
An economic expansion begins ____________. A. at the end of a recession. B. at the midpoint between the trough and peak of GDP growth. C. after the peak of GDP growth. D. in the middle of a recession.
A. at the end of a recession.
According to his theory of animal spirits and sentiment, changes in sentiment cause economic fluctuations through ____________. A. changes in household consumption and firm investment. B. decreases in offsetting movements in exports and imports. C. changes in government expenditure. D. changes in productivity.
A. changes in household consumption and firm investment.
Real business cycle theory ____________. A. emphasizes the role of changing productivity and technology in causing economic fluctuations. B. explains how monetary factors drive business cycles. C. explains how initial economic shocks are amplified through the multiplier process. D. emphasizes the role of sentiments that create the self-fulfilling prophecies that drive economic fluctuations.
A. emphasizes the role of changing productivity and technology in causing economic fluctuations.
The recession of 2007-2009 affected the components of the national income identity by primarily affecting ____________. A. the C and I components through a reduction in consumer wealth and a drop in housing construction. B. all components of the national income identity equally in terms of percentage changes. C. the G component as the government attempted to offset the fall in demand through increased spending. D. the NX component due to an appreciation of the U.S. dollar and secondarily affecting the C and I components as consumers purchased fewer imports and businesses produced fewer goods for export.
A. the C and I components through a reduction in consumer wealth and a drop in housing construction.
During an economic downturn of any duration, _____________. A. consumption, investment, and GDP decrease while unemployment increases. B. consumption, investment, GDP, and unemployment all increase. C. consumption and unemployment increase while GDP and investment decrease. D. consumption, investment, GDP, and unemployment all decrease.
A. consumption, investment, and GDP decrease while unemployment increases.
____________ used the concepts of animal spirits and sentiment to explain economic fluctuations. A. Arthur Cecil Pigou. B. John Maynard Keynes. C. Milton Friedman. D. Irving Fisher.
B. John Maynard Keynes.
When workers are laid off, what happens to physical capital? A. Physical capital becomes more productive, leading firms to increase capacity utilization. B. Physical capital becomes less productive, leading firms to reduce capacity utilization. C. Capacity utilization does not change. D. Laborers become more productive, leading firms to increase capacity utilization.
B. Physical capital becomes less productive, leading firms to reduce capacity utilization.
What market forces might cause the labor demand curve to shift back to the right? (Check all that apply.) A. Wage rigidity decreases. B. Technological advances encourage firms to expand their activities. C. The banking system recuperates and businesses are again able to use credit to finance their activities. D. Excess inventory has been sold off.
B. Technological advances encourage firms to expand their activities. C. The banking system recuperates and businesses are again able to use credit to finance their activities. D. Excess inventory has been sold off.
Why do policymakers generally prefer to target low levels of inflation (e.g., 2 percent) rather than zero inflation? A. To match the target unemployment rate. B. To limit the possibility of deflation. C. To limit the possibility of hyperinflation. D. To match the target GDP growth rate.
B. To limit the possibility of deflation.
An example of a multiplier is when ____________. (Check all that apply.) A. a reduction in business investment is offset by increases in consumption and net exports. B. an increase in business confidence causes firms to increase production and hire employees, leading to an increase in household spending, causing firms to further increase production and employment. C. a drop in consumer confidence reduces household spending, causing firms to cut production and lay off employees, leading to a greater reduction in household spending. D. a decrease in labor demand with rigid wages causes a larger increase in unemployment than the same decrease with flexible wages.
B. an increase in business confidence causes firms to increase production and hire employees, leading to an increase in household spending, causing firms to further increase production and employment. C. a drop in consumer confidence reduces household spending, causing firms to cut production and lay off employees, leading to a greater reduction in household spending.
The national income identity shows that ___________. A. nominal variables are linked to real variables through inflation. B. output is a function of consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports. C. economic fluctuations are directly related to the movement of real variables. D. the growth rate of real GDP is inversely related to the unemployment rate.
B. output is a function of consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports.
The first Evidence-Based Economics in the chapter identifies three key factors that caused the recession of 2007-2009. How would Keynes's concept of animal spirits explain the creation of a housing bubble? A. With an expanding economy, real wages were driven up, leading to higher demand for housing, which expanded the economy further and drove up wages again, resulting in an upward spiral driven by optimism. B. Home builders reduced their level of construction and investment, which led to higher prices and profits due to decreased supply, and as inventory declined, prices continued to climb. C. People believed that a house was a worthwhile investment, which led to an increased demand for housing and thus pushed prices up. This confirmed to people that housing was a worthwhile investment, which led to more demand, resulting in an upward spiral driven by optimism. D. The increas
C. People believed that a house was a worthwhile investment, which led to an increased demand for housing and thus pushed prices up. This confirmed to people that housing was a worthwhile investment, which led to more demand, resulting in an upward spiral driven by optimism.
Which of the following characteristics of economic fluctuations does the Great Depression illustrate? (Check all that apply.) A. Bank volatility. B. Stock market volatility. C. Persistence. D. Limited predictability. E. Co-movement in economic aggregates.
C. Persistence. D. Limited predictability. E. Co-movement in economic aggregates.
An example of a multiplier is when ____________. (Check all that apply.) A. a reduction in business investment is offset by increases in consumption and net exports. B. a decrease in labor demand with rigid wages causes a larger increase in unemployment than the same decrease with flexible wages. C. a drop in consumer confidence reduces household spending, causing firms to cut production and lay off employees, leading to a greater reduction in household spending. D. an increase in business confidence causes firms to increase production and hire employees, leading to an increase in household spending, causing firms to further increase production and employment.
C. a drop in consumer confidence reduces household spending, causing firms to cut production and lay off employees, leading to a greater reduction in household spending. D. an increase in business confidence causes firms to increase production and hire employees, leading to an increase in household spending, causing firms to further increase production and employment.
The concept of multipliers was one of the key elements of John Maynard Keynes's theory of fluctuations. A multiplier is ____________. A. a change in productivity that leads to increases in aggregate economic activity. B. a factor that causes a change in the money supply to generate activity larger than the change in the money supply. C. an economic mechanism that causes an initial shock to be amplified by follow-on effects. D. a change in expectations about future economic activity.
C. an economic mechanism that causes an initial shock to be amplified by follow-on effects.
Economic fluctuations are ____________. A. changes to the trend line of GDP growth. B. economic shocks characterized by downward wage rigidity and multipliers. C. short-run changes in the growth of GDP. D. long-run changes in the growth of GDP.
C. short-run changes in the growth of GDP.
Using your graph, the most likely explanation for the shift of the labor demand curve is ____________. A. businesses need more workers with technological skills, and so push the overall labor demand curve to the right. B. businesses are optimistic about the future and so hire more workers. C. the increase in productivity increases the marginal product of labor, leading to an increase in labor demand. D. the increase in productivity decreases the marginal product of labor relative to the marginal product of capital, leading to the need to hire more workers to fully utilize the capital.
C. the increase in productivity increases the marginal product of labor, leading to an increase in labor demand.
An economic expansion is defined as ___________. A. a period of positive real GDP growth that is above the long-run average for the economy. B. positive real GDP growth lasting at least two quarters. C. the period between two economic recessions. D. a period of positive real GDP growth and unemployment below the rate dictated by Okun's Law.
C. the period between two economic recessions.
Early theories of business cycles assumed that economic fluctuations had a pendulum-like structure with systematic swings in economic growth. Which property of economic fluctuations do these early theories contradict? A. The inverse relationship of GDP growth and the unemployment rate. B. Co-movement. C. Persistence in the rate of growth. D. Limited predictability.
D. Limited predictability.
Which of the following variables exhibit co-movement during an economic expansion? A. Investment and consumption. B. Real GDP and employment. C. Inflation and government expenditure. D. Only A and B above. E. All of the above.
D. Only A and B above.
Which of the following statements correctly describes the consequences of considering real wages instead of nominal wages in analyzing recessions? A. We would find that real wages immediately adjust even in the presence of a downward wage rigidity. B. We would find that the conclusions of our analysis change. C. We would find that real wages can't fall if nominal wages don't. D. We would find that firms base their hiring decisions on the ratio of nominal wages to their output prices.
D. We would find that firms base their hiring decisions on the ratio of nominal wages to their output prices.
If oil, which is a major input to most production processes, abruptly falls in price, the impact on the economy would be similar to ____________. A. an economic multiplier increase, with a resultant increase in real GDP. B. a productivity decrease, with a resultant decrease in real GDP. C. an economic multiplier decrease, with a resultant decrease in real GDP. D. a productivity increase, with a resultant increase in real GDP.
D. a productivity increase, with a resultant increase in real GDP.
An economic expansion begins ____________. A. when the unemployment rate bottoms out. B. in the month after the second consecutive quarter of positive real GDP growth. C. when real GDP growth first breaks above the long-run trend for the economy. D. just after the trough of a recession.
D. just after the trough of a recession.
According to the concept of persistence in the rate of growth, if the economy contracts this quarter, it will ____________. A. likely grow next quarter. B. definitely grow next quarter. C. definitely contract next quarter. D. likely contract next quarter.
D. likely contract next quarter.
According to Keynes's view on animal spirits, ____________. A. the economy will fluctuate in line with the underlying economic fundamentals. B. technological breakthroughs could cause rapid increases in output. C. downward wage rigidity could lead to pessimism in the economy, resulting in the self-fulfilling prophecy of a decline in economic output. D. the economy could fluctuate beyond the level that could be explained by the underlying economic fundamentals.
D. the economy could fluctuate beyond the level that could be explained by the underlying economic fundamentals.
As a new expansion in the business cycle starts, we can expect the aggregate labor demand curve to shift to the ____________. This will be met with ________________ in real GDP and a movement ______ the aggregate production function.
right an increase up
If an economic shock increases labor demand, equilibrium employment ____________ and real GDP ____________.
rises rises
If wages are flexible, the decrease in employment and real GDP will be _________________ the decrease if wages are rigid.
smaller than
If wages are flexible, the increase in employment and real GDP will be ___________ the increase if wages are rigid.
smaller than
Recessions and expansions have ___________ lengths, which explains why they ______________ a repetitive, easily predictable cycle. This is why there is _______________ of turning points.
variable do not follow a limited predictability