Chapter 21
If the multiplier is 5, then the MPC is
.8
If the stock market crashes, then
aggregate demand decreases, which the Fed could offset by increasing the money supply.
Tax cuts
and increases in government expenditures shift aggregate demand right.
Automatic stabilizers
are changes in taxes or government spending that increase aggregate demand without requiring policy makers to act when the economy goes into recession.
The Federal Funds rate is the interest rate
banks charge each other for short-term loans.
People hold money primarily because it
can directly be used to buy goods and services.
The change in aggregate demand that results from fiscal expansion changing the interest rate is called the
crowding-out effect.
The marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is defined as the fraction of
extra income that a household consumes rather than saves
Permanent tax cuts shift the AD curve
farther to the right than do temporary tax cuts
In recent years, the Federal Reserve has conducted policy by setting a target for the
federal funds rate
fiscal policy refers to the idea that aggregate demand is affected by changes in
government spending and taxes
Supply-side economists focus more than other economists on
how fiscal policy affects aggregate supply.
When the interest rate increases, the opportunity cost of holding money
increases, so the quantity of money demanded decreases.
The interest-rate effect
is the most important reason, in the case of the United States, for the downward slope of the aggregate-demand curve.
If the government cuts the tax rate, workers get to keep
more of each additional dollar they earn, so work effort increases, and aggregate supply shifts right.
Government purchases are said to have a
multiplier effect on aggregate demand.
Other things the same, automatic stabilizers tend to
raise expenditures during recessions and lower expenditures during expansions.
Assume the MPC is 0.75. Assume there is a multiplier effect and that the total crowding-out effect is $6 billion. An increase in government purchases of $10 billion will shift aggregate demand to the
right by $34 billion
If the interest rate is below the Fed's target, the Fed would
sell bonds to decrease the money supply
The interest-rate effect depends on
the idea that increases in interest rates decrease the quantity of goods and services demanded.
According to liquidity preference theory, an increase in money demand for some reason other than a change in the price level causes
the interest rate to rise, so aggregate demand shifts left.
Which of the following is not an automatic stabilizer?
the minimum wage