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 why public goods must be provided by the government.
Distinguish between revenue expenditure and capital expenditure.
Explain the automatic mechanism by which BoP equilibrium was achieved under the gold standard.
Suppose C = 40 + 0.8Y D, T = 50, I = 60, G = 40, X = 90, M = 50 + 0.05Y
(a) Find equilibrium income. (b) Find the net export balance at equilibrium income (c) What happens to equilibrium income and the net export balance when the government purchases increase from 40 and 50?
We suppose that C = 70 + 0.70Y D, I = 90, G = 100, T = 0.10Y (a) Find the equilibrium income. (b) What are tax revenues at equilibrium income? Does the government have a balanced budget?
Suppose marginal propensity to consume is 0.75 and there is a 20 per cent proportional income tax. Find the change in equilibrium income for the following (a) Government purchases increase by 20 (b) Transfers decrease by 20.
What do you understand by ‘parametric shift of a line’? How does a line shift when its (i) slope decreases, and (ii) its intercept increases?
Explain why the tax multiplier is smaller in absolute value than the government expenditure multiplier.
Does public debt impose a burden? Explain.
In the above question, calculate the effect on output of a 10 per cent increase in transfers, and a 10 per cent increase in lump-sum taxes. Compare the effects of the two.