Macroeconomics

‭resources‬ ‭without‬ ‭raising‬ ‭their‬‭prices).‬‭There‬‭is‬‭time‬‭for‬‭input‬‭prices‬‭to‬‭change,‬‭but‬‭due‬‭to‬‭low‬ ‭aggregate‬ ‭demand,‬ ‭they‬ ‭do‬ ‭not.‬ ‭For‬ ‭example,‬ ‭in‬ ‭times‬ ‭of‬ ‭high‬ ‭unemployment,‬ ‭any‬ ‭job‬ ‭offer‬ ‭might‬ ‭be‬ ‭enough‬ ‭to‬ ‭attract‬ ‭new‬ ‭workers.‬‭In‬‭this‬‭case,‬‭output‬‭increases‬‭without‬‭increasing‬‭the‬ ‭price level.‬ ‭2.‬ ‭The‬ ‭upward-sloping‬ ‭part‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭AS‬ ‭curve‬ ‭(part‬ ‭B‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭previous‬ ‭diagram):‬ ‭As‬ ‭output‬ ‭increases‬ ‭from‬ ‭Y‬ ‭to‬ ‭Y₁,‬ ‭frms‬ ‭start‬ ‭to‬ ‭face‬ ‭shortages‬ ‭of‬ ‭resources‬ ‭resulting‬ ‭in‬ ‭bids‬ ‭for‬ ‭higher‬ ‭wages‬ ‭and‬ ‭more‬ ‭expensive‬ ‭raw‬‭materials‬‭and‬‭capital‬‭equipment‬‭prices.‬‭This‬‭means‬‭that‬‭frms‬ ‭start‬ ‭approaching‬ ‭potential‬ ‭output‬ ‭as‬ ‭they‬ ‭use‬ ‭their‬ ‭spare‬ ‭capacity.‬ ‭Both‬ ‭prices‬ ‭and‬ ‭output‬ ‭increase in this part.‬ ‭3.‬ ‭The‬ ‭vertical‬ ‭part‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬‭AS‬‭curve‬‭(part‬‭C‬‭in‬‭the‬‭previous‬‭diagram):‬ ‭When‬‭output‬‭reaches‬‭Y₁,‬ ‭the‬ ‭economy‬ ‭is‬ ‭producing‬ ‭the‬‭maximum‬‭output‬‭it‬‭can‬‭with‬‭the‬‭existing‬‭resources.‬‭In‬‭this‬‭part,‬ ‭the‬ ‭economy‬ ‭reaches‬ ‭full‬ ‭capacity;‬ ‭therefore,‬ ‭it‬ ‭is‬ ‭impossible‬ ‭to‬ ‭increase‬ ‭output‬‭with‬‭existing‬ ‭inputs.‬‭This‬‭part‬‭of‬‭the‬‭curve‬‭is‬‭perfectly‬‭inelastic,‬‭which‬‭is‬‭the‬‭same‬‭as‬‭the‬‭LRAS‬‭curve‬‭adopted‬ ‭by‬‭the‬‭Classical‬‭view‬‭when‬‭prices‬‭become‬‭flexible.‬‭An‬‭attempt‬‭to‬‭affect‬‭output‬‭with‬‭no‬‭increase‬ ‭in the quantity and quality of inputs will result in higher price levels, and hence inflation.‬ ‭E. Macroeconomic Equilibrium‬ ‭At‬ ‭a‬ ‭macro‬ ‭level,‬ ‭the‬ ‭equilibrium‬ ‭level‬ ‭of‬ ‭output‬ ‭is‬ ‭determined‬ ‭at‬ ‭the‬ ‭intersection‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭aggregate‬ ‭demand‬ ‭and‬ ‭aggregate‬ ‭supply‬ ‭curves.‬ ‭This‬ ‭intersection‬ ‭is‬ ‭illustrated‬ ‭by‬ ‭the‬ ‭aggregate‬ ‭demand-aggregate supply model (AD-AS model)‬ ‭both in‬‭the short and long run.‬ ‭Actual vs. Full-Employment Output‬ ‭How‬ ‭do‬ ‭we‬ ‭know‬ ‭if‬ ‭the‬ ‭current‬ ‭or‬ ‭actual‬ ‭level‬ ‭of‬ ‭real‬ ‭GDP‬ ‭is‬ ‭the‬ ‭optimal‬ ‭one?‬ ‭First,‬ ‭we‬ ‭identify‬ ‭the‬ ‭short-run‬ ‭equilibrium‬ ‭output‬ ‭to‬ ‭determine‬ ‭where‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭business‬ ‭cycle‬ ‭the‬ ‭economy‬ ‭is.‬ ‭Then,‬ ‭we‬ ‭determine‬ ‭whether‬ ‭the‬ ‭economy‬‭is‬‭at,‬‭below,‬‭or‬‭above‬‭full‬‭employment‬‭by‬‭examining‬‭how‬‭close‬‭or‬‭far‬ ‭we are from the long-run equilibrium.‬ ‭Short-Run Macroeconomic Equilibrium‬ ‭Recall‬ ‭that‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭short‬ ‭run,‬ ‭price‬ ‭adjustments‬ ‭have‬ ‭not‬ ‭happened‬ ‭yet‬ ‭.‬ ‭Therefore,‬ ‭the‬ ‭short-run‬ ‭macroeconomic equilibrium represents the real GDP that exists‬ ‭right now‬ ‭.‬ ‭The‬ ‭short-run‬‭macroeconomic‬‭equilibrium‬ ‭occurs‬‭when‬‭the‬‭quantity‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭aggregate‬‭output‬‭supplied‬ ‭is‬‭equal‬‭to‬‭the‬‭quantity‬‭of‬‭aggregate‬‭output‬‭demanded‬ ‭.‬‭Graphically,‬‭this‬‭is‬‭the‬‭price‬‭level‬‭and‬‭real‬‭GDP‬ ‭at‬ ‭the intersection of the AD and the SRAS curves‬ ‭.‬

‭In the AD-AS models below, the short-run macroeconomic equilibrium is represented by point X.‬

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