Measurement of Macroeconomic Performance Flashcards
what is the acronym for macroeconomic objectives ?
TIGER
what does TIGER stand for?
Trade (x=m)
Inflation (stable, 2%)
Growth (sustainable, 2.5%)
Unemployment (stable, 4%)
Redistribution of wealth (equal)
what are the main macroeconomic indicators ? (ways the government track how their meeting their objectives)
GDP (real, nominal, per capita)
inflation rate (CPI, RPI)
claimant count & LFS
current account
what is the measure for economic growth ?
GDP
what is the difference between real and nominal GDP ?
real - adjusted to inflation
nominal - not adjusted to inflation
what is GDP per capita ?
value of GDP per head
(GDP/population)
measures output per person in the economy
what is inflation ?
Inflation is a sustained increase in the general/average price level of an economy
what are the measures of inflation ?
CPI & RPI
what does CPI stand for, and what is it ?
consumer price index
measures household purchasing power,
(basket of goods are taken each year and the prices of each good are compared to the previous years price).
what does RPI stand for, and what is it ?
retail price index
CPI + housing costs
(mortgage interest, council tax)
what are the two measures of unemployment ?
claimant count
&
labour force survey (LFS)
what is the claimant count, how is it measured ?
counts the number of people who are claiming unemployment related benefits (JSA), they have to prove they are actively looking for work.
what is the labour force survey (LFS), how is it measured ?
sample of 100,000 people (chosen randomly) are asked a series of questions to figure out whether they are:
- unemployed
- employed
- part-time employed
- economically active
(willing and able to start working in the next 2 weeks)
what is the measure for productivity ?
output per worker per period of time
(measures the efficiency of workers)
what makes up the balance of payments ?
current account
capital account
financial account
what does the current account consist of ?
trade of goods & services
what do index numbers measure ?
the comparison between years, and to measure the magnitude of change overtime.
what is the index numbers calculation ?
(current year/ base year) x 100
what is the target rate of economic growth ?
and why?
2-3%, growth at this rate is less likely to cause excessive demand-pull inflation
what does strong economic growth look like ?
higher incomes
lower unemployment rates
better government budgets
what is the target rate of inflation ?
2% (CPI)
what is the target rate of unemployment ?
4-5%
why is it impossible to achieve 100% employment ?
there will always be a level of frictional unemployment (the time unemployed between leaving one job to find and pursue another)
when real GDP increases what happens to the unemployment rate ?
it falls