Describe the Great Depression of 1929.
The great depression was a severe economic crisis that started in the year 1929. It originated in the United States of America with the crash of the stock market and gradually spread to other countries of the world. The main cause behind this crisis was the fall in aggregate demand due to under consumption and over investment. Due to under consumption and over investment the stock of finished goods started piling up, which resulted in low price level and consequently the low profit level.
The money in the economy was converted into unsold stock of finished goods that led to an acute fall in employment and hence income level fell drastically. The demand for goods in the economy was so low that the production was lowered leading to unemployment. In the USA, the rate of unemployment increased from 3% to 25%.
The great depression has its own implications and importance in economics, as it leads to the failure of the classical approach of economics. Those who believed in the market forces of demand and supply, paved the way for emergence of the Keynesian approach. It was this incident that provides the economists with sufficient evidence to recognise macroeconomics as a separate branch of economics.
What is marginal propensity to consume? How is it related to marginal propensity to save?
Explain why public goods must be provided by the government.
Differentiate between balance of trade and current account balance.
What are the four factors of production and what are the remunerations to each of these called?
What is a barter system? What are its drawbacks?
What is the difference between ex ante investment and ex post investment?
Distinguish between revenue expenditure and capital expenditure.
What are official reserve transactions? Explain their importance in the balance of payments.
Why should the aggregate final expenditure of an economy be equal to the aggregate factor payments? Explain.
What are the main functions of money? How does money overcome the shortcomings of a barter system?
Explain ‘Paradox of Thrift’.
If inflation is higher in country A than in Country B, and the exchange rate between the two countries is fixed, what is likely to happen to the trade balance between the two countries?
From the following data, calculate Personal Income and Personal Disposable Income.
Rs (crore)
(a) Net Domestic Product at factor cost 8,000
(b) Net Factor Income from abroad 200
(c) Undisbursed Profit 1,000
(d) Corporate Tax 500
(e) Interest Received by Households 1,500
(f) Interest Paid by Households 1,200
(g) Transfer Income 300
(h) Personal Tax 500
Differentiate between devaluation and depreciation.
What is the difference between ex ante investment and ex post investment?
How is the exchange rate determined under a flexible exchange rate regime?
Suppose C = 100 + 0.75Y D, I = 500, G = 750, taxes are 20 per cent of income, X = 150, M = 100 + 0.2Y . Calculate equilibrium income, the budget deficit or surplus and the trade deficit or surplus.
Write down some of the limitations of using GDP as an index of welfare of a country.
Explain the relation between government deficit and government debt.
Explain the automatic mechanism by which BoP equilibrium was achieved under the gold standard.