PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS - N. GREGORY MANKIW
Eighth edition
ISBN 13: 978-1-305-58512-6
ISBN 10: 1-305-58512-7
Brief Contents
PART I Introduction 1
1 Ten Principles of Economics 3
2 Thinking Like an Economist 19
3 Interdependence and the Gains from Trade 47
PART II How Markets Work 63
4 The Market Forces of Supply and Demand 65
5 Elasticity and Its Application 89
6 Supply, Demand, and Government Policies 111
PART III Markets and Welfare 131
7 Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets 133
8 Application: The Costs of Taxation 153
9 Application: International Trade 167
PART IV The Economics of the Public Sector 187
10 Externalities 189
11 Public Goods and Common Resources 211
12 The Design of the Tax System 227
PART V Firm Behavior and the Organization of Industry 245
13 The Costs of Production 247
14 Firms in Competitive Markets 267
15 Monopoly 289
16 Monopolistic Competition 319
17 Oligopoly 337
PART VI The Economics of Labor Markets 359
18 The Markets for the Factors of Production 361
19 Earnings and Discrimination 383
20 Income Inequality and Poverty 401
PART VII Topics for Further Study 423
21 The Theory of Consumer Choice 425
22 Frontiers of Microeconomics 451
PART VIII The Data of Macroeconomics 471
23 Measuring a Nation’s Income 473
24 Measuring the Cost of Living 495
PART IX The Real Economy in the Long Run 513
25 Production and Growth 515
26 Saving, Investment, and the Financial System 541
27 The Basic Tools of Finance 563
28 Unemployment 577
PART X Money and Prices in the Long Run 601
29 The Monetary System 603
30 Money Growth and Inflation 627
PART XI The Macroeconomics of Open Economies 651
31 Open-Economy Macroeconomics: Basic Concepts 653
32 A Macroeconomic Theory of the Open Economy 677
PART XII Short-Run Economic Fluctuations 699
33 Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply 701
34 The Influence of Monetary and Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Demand 737
35 The Short-Run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment 763
PART XIII Final Thoughts 787
36 Six Debates over Macroeconomic Policy 789
Contents
PART I Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1
Ten Principles of Economics 3
1-1 How People Make Decisions 4
1-1a Principle 1: People Face Trade-offs 4
1-1b Principle 2: The Cost of Something Is What You Give Up to Get It 5
1-1c Principle 3: Rational People Think at the Margin 6
1-1d Principle 4: People Respond to Incentives 7
1-2 How People Interact 8
1-2a Principle 5: Trade Can Make Everyone Better Off 8
1-2b Principle 6: Markets Are Usually a Good Way to Organize Economic Activity 9
FYI: Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand 10
CASE STUDY: Adam Smith Would Have Loved Uber 11
1-2c Principle 7: Governments Can Sometimes Improve Market Outcomes 11
1-3 How the Economy as a Whole Works 13
1-3a Principle 8: A Country’s Standard of Living Depends on Its Ability to Produce Goods and Services 13
1-3b Principle 9: Prices Rise When the Government Prints Too Much Money 13
1-3c Principle 10: Society Faces a Short-Run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment 14
1-4 Conclusion 15
Summary 16
Key Concepts 16
Questions for Review 16
Problems and Applications 17
CHAPTER 2
Thinking Like an Economist 19
2-1 The Economist as Scientist 20
2-1a The Scientific Method: Observation, Theory, and More Observation 20
2-1b The Role of Assumptions 21
2-1c Economic Models 22
2-1d Our First Model: The Circular-Flow Diagram 22
2-1e Our Second Model: The Production Possibilities Frontier 2-1f Microeconomics and Macroeconomics 26
2-2 The Economist as Policy Adviser 27
2-2a Positive versus Normative Analysis 27
2-2b Economists in Washington 28
2-2c Why Economists’ Advice Is Not Always Followed 29
2-3 Why Economists Disagree 30
2-3a Differences in Scientific Judgments 30
2-3b Differences in Values 30
2-3c Perception versus Reality 31
ASK THE EXPERTS: Ticket Resale 32
2-4 Let’s Get Going 32
IN THE NEWS: Why You Should Study Economics 33
Summary 34
Key Concepts 34
Questions for Review 35
Problems and Applications 35
Appendix Graphing: A Brief Review 37
CHAPTER 3
Interdependence and the Gains from Trade 47
3-1 A Parable for the Modern Economy 3-1a Production Possibilities 49
3-1b Specialization and Trade 50
3-2 Comparative Advantage: The Driving Force of Specialization 52
3-2a Absolute Advantage 52
3-2b Opportunity Cost and Comparative Advantage 52
3-2c Comparative Advantage and Trade 53
3-2d The Price of the Trade 54
FYI: The Legacy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo 55
3-3 Applications of Comparative Advantage 55
3-3a Should Serena Williams Mow Her Own Lawn? 55
IN THE NEWS: Economics within a Marriage 56
3-3b Should the United States Trade with Other Countries? 56
ASK THE EXPERTS: Trade between China and the United States 58
3-4 Conclusion 58
Summary 59
Key Concepts 59
Questions for Review 60
Problems and Applications 60
PART II How Markets Work 63
CHAPTER 4
The Market Forces of Supply and Demand 65
4-1 Markets and Competition 66
4-1a What Is a Market? 66
4-1b What Is Competition? 66
4-2 Demand 67
4-2a The Demand Curve: The Relationship between Price and Quantity Demanded 67
4-2b Market Demand versus Individual Demand 68
4-2c Shifts in the Demand Curve 69
CASE STUDY: Two Ways to Reduce the Quantity of Smoking Demanded 71
4-3 Supply 73
4-3a The Supply Curve: The Relationship between Price and Quantity Supplied 73
4-3b Market Supply versus Individual Supply 74
4-3c Shifts in the Supply Curve 75
4-4 Supply and Demand Together 76
4-4a Equilibrium 76
4-4b Three Steps to Analyzing Changes in Equilibrium 78
4-5 Conclusion: How Prices Allocate Resources 83
ASK THE EXPERTS: Price Gouging 83
IN THE NEWS: Price Increases after Disasters 84
Summary 86
Key Concepts 86
Questions for Review 87
Problems and Applications 87
CHAPTER 5
Elasticity and Its Application 89
5-1 The Elasticity of Demand 90
5-1a The Price Elasticity of Demand and Its Determinants 90
5-1b Computing the Price Elasticity of Demand 91
5-1c The Midpoint Method: A Better Way to Calculate Percentage Changes and Elasticities 92
5-1d The Variety of Demand Curves 93
FYI: A Few Elasticities from the Real World 93
5-1e Total Revenue and the Price Elasticity of Demand 95
5-1f Elasticity and Total Revenue along a Linear Demand Curve 96
5-1g Other Demand Elasticities 98
5-2 The Elasticity of Supply 99
5-2a The Price Elasticity of Supply and Its Determinants 99
5-2b Computing the Price Elasticity of Supply 99
5-2c The Variety of Supply Curves 100
5-3 Three Applications of Supply, Demand, and Elasticity 102
5-3a Can Good News for Farming Be Bad News for Farmers? 102
5-3b Why Did OPEC Fail to Keep the Price of Oil High? 104
5-3c Does Drug Interdiction Increase or Decrease Drug-Related Crime? 105
5-4 Conclusion 107
Summary 108
Key Concepts 108
Questions for Review 109
Problems and Applications 109
CHAPTER 6
Supply, Demand, and Government Policies 111
6-1 Controls on Prices 112
6-1a How Price Ceilings Affect Market Outcomes 112
CASE STUDY: Lines at the Gas Pump 114
CASE STUDY: Rent Control in the Short Run and the Long Run 115
6-1b How Price Floors Affect Market Outcomes 116
ASK THE EXPERTS: Rent Control 116
CASE STUDY: The Minimum Wage 118
ASK THE EXPERTS: The Minimum Wage 119
6-1c Evaluating Price Controls 120
6-2 Taxes 120
6-2a How Taxes on Sellers Affect Market Outcomes 121
6-2b How Taxes on Buyers Affect Market Outcomes 122
CASE STUDY: Can Congress Distribute the Burden of a Payroll Tax? 124
6-2c Elasticity and Tax Incidence 124
CASE STUDY: Who Pays the Luxury Tax? 126
6-3 Conclusion 127
Summary 128
Key Concepts 128
Questions for Review 128
Problems and Applications 129
PART III Markets and Welfare 131
CHAPTER 7
Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets 133
7-1 Consumer Surplus 134
7-1a Willingness to Pay 134
7-1b Using the Demand Curve to Measure Consumer Surplus 135
7-1c How a Lower Price Raises Consumer Surplus 136
7-1d What Does Consumer Surplus Measure? 137
7-2 Producer Surplus 139
7-2a Cost and the Willingness to Sell 139
7-2b Using the Supply Curve to Measure Producer Surplus 140
7-2c How a Higher Price Raises Producer Surplus 141
7-3 Market Efficiency 142
7-3a The Benevolent Social Planner 143
7-3b Evaluating the Market Equilibrium 144
IN THE NEWS: The Invisible Hand Can Park Your Car 146
CASE STUDY: Should There Be a Market for Organs? 147
ASK THE EXPERTS: Supplying Kidneys 148
7-4 Conclusion: Market Efficiency and Market Failure 148
Summary 150
Key Concepts 150
Questions for Review 150
Problems and Applications 150
CHAPTER 8
Application: The Costs of Taxation 153
8-1 The Deadweight Loss of Taxation 154
8-1a How a Tax Affects Market Participants 155
8-1b Deadweight Losses and the Gains from Trade 157
8-2 The Determinants of the Deadweight Loss 158
CASE STUDY: The Deadweight Loss Debate 160
8-3 Deadweight Loss and Tax Revenue as Taxes Vary 161
CASE STUDY: The Laffer Curve and Supply-Side Economics 162
ASK THE EXPERTS: The Laffer Curve 163
8-4 Conclusion 164
Summary 165
Key Concept 165
Questions for Review 165
Problems and Applications 165
CHAPTER 9
Application: International Trade 167
9-1 The Determinants of Trade 168
9-1a The Equilibrium without Trade 168
9-1b The World Price and Comparative Advantage 169
9-2 The Winners and Losers from Trade 170
9-2a The Gains and Losses of an Exporting Country 170
9-2b The Gains and Losses of an Importing Country 171
9-2c Effects of a Tariff 173
FYI: Import Quotas: Another Way to Restrict Trade 175
9-2d The Lessons for Trade Policy 175
9-2e Other Benefits of International Trade 176
IN THE NEWS: Trade as a Tool for Economic Development 177
9-3 The Arguments for Restricting Trade 178
9-3a The Jobs Argument 178
IN THE NEWS: Should the Winners from Free Trade Compensate the Losers? 179
9-3b The National-Security Argument 180
9-3c The Infant-Industry Argument 180
9-3d The Unfair-Competition Argument 181
9-3e The Protection-as-a-Bargaining-Chip Argument 181
CASE STUDY: Trade Agreements and the World Trade Organization 181
ASK THE EXPERTS: Trade Deals 182
9-4 Conclusion 182
Summary 184
Key Concepts 184
Questions for Review 184
Problems and Applications 185
PART IV The Economics of the Public Sector 187
CHAPTER 10
Externalities 189
10-1 Externalities and Market Inefficiency 191
10-1a Welfare Economics: A Recap 191
10-1b Negative Externalities 192
10-1c Positive Externalities 193
CASE STUDY: Technology Spillovers, Industrial Policy, and Patent Protection 194
10-2 Public Policies toward Externalities 195
10-2a Command-and-Control Policies: Regulation 195
10-2b Market-Based Policy 1: Corrective Taxes and Subsidies 196
ASK THE EXPERTS: Vaccines 196
CASE STUDY: Why Is Gasoline Taxed So Heavily? 197
IN THE NEWS: What Should We Do about Climate Change? 199
10-2c Market-Based Policy 2: Tradable Pollution Permits 200
ASK THE EXPERTS: Carbon Taxes 200
10-2d Objections to the Economic Analysis of Pollution 202
10-3 Private Solutions to Externalities 202
10-3a The Types of Private Solutions 202
10-3b The Coase Theorem 203
10-3c Why Private Solutions Do Not Always Work 204
IN THE NEWS: The Coase Theorem in Action 205
10-4 Conclusion 206
Summary 207
Key Concepts 207
Questions for Review 207
Problems and Applications 208
CHAPTER 11
Public Goods and Common Resources 211
11-1 The Different Kinds of Goods 212
11-2 Public Goods 214
11-2a The Free-Rider Problem 214
11-2b Some Important Public Goods 214
CASE STUDY: Are Lighthouses Public Goods? 216
11-2c The Difficult Job of Cost–Benefit Analysis 216
CASE STUDY: How Much Is a Life Worth? 217
11-3 Common Resources 218
11-3a The Tragedy of the Commons 218
11-3b Some Important Common Resources 219
ASK THE EXPERTS: Congesting Pricing 219
IN THE NEWS: The Case for Toll Roads 220
CASE STUDY: Why the Cow Is Not Extinct 222
11-4 Conclusion: The Importance of Property Rights Summary 224
Key Concepts 224
Questions for Review 224
Problems and Applications 224
CHAPTER 12
The Design of the Tax System 227
12-1 An Overview of U.S. Taxation 228
12-1a Taxes Collected by the Federal Government 228
12-1b Taxes Collected by State and Local Governments 231
12-2 Taxes and Efficiency 232
12-2a Deadweight Losses 232
CASE STUDY: Should Income or Consumption Be Taxed? 233
12-2b Administrative Burden 234
12-2c Marginal Tax Rates versus Average Tax Rates 235
12-2d Lump-Sum Taxes 235
12-3 Taxes and Equity 236
12-3a The Benefits Principle 236
12-3b The Ability-to-Pay Principle 237
CASE STUDY: How the Tax Burden Is Distributed 238
12-3c Tax Incidence and Tax Equity 239
IN THE NEWS: Tax Expenditures 240
CASE STUDY: Who Pays the Corporate Income Tax? 240
12-4 Conclusion: The Trade-off between Equity and Efficiency 242
Summary 243
Key Concepts 243
Questions for Review 244
Problems and Applications 244
PART V Firm Behavior and the Organization of Industry 245
CHAPTER 13
The Costs of Production 247
13-1 What Are Costs? 248
13-1a Total Revenue, Total Cost, and Profit 248
13-1b Costs as Opportunity Costs 249
13-1c The Cost of Capital as an Opportunity Cost 249
13-1d Economic Profit versus Accounting Profit 250
13-2 Production and Costs 251
13-2a The Production Function 251
13-2b From the Production Function to the Total-Cost Curve 253
13-3 The Various Measures of Cost 254
13-3a Fixed and Variable Costs 255
13-3b Average and Marginal Cost 255
13-3c Cost Curves and Their Shapes 256
13-3d Typical Cost Curves 258
13-4 Costs in the Short Run and in the Long Run 259
13-4a The Relationship between Short-Run and Long-Run Average Total Cost 260
13-4b Economies and Diseconomies of Scale 261
FYI: Lessons from a Pin Factory 261
13-5 Conclusion 262
Summary 263
Key Concepts 264
Questions for Review 264
Problems and Applications 264
CHAPTER 14
Firms in Competitive Markets 267
14-1 What Is a Competitive Market? 268
14-1a The Meaning of Competition 268
14-1b The Revenue of a Competitive Firm 269
14-2 Profit Maximization and the Competitive Firm’s Supply Curve 270
14-2a A Simple Example of Profit Maximization 270
14-2b The Marginal-Cost Curve and the Firm’s Supply Decision 271
14-2c The Firm’s Short-Run Decision to Shut Down 273
14-2d Spilt Milk and Other Sunk Costs 275
CASE STUDY: Near-Empty Restaurants and Off-Season Miniature Golf 275
14-2e The Firm’s Long-Run Decision to Exit or Enter a Market 276
14-2f Measuring Profit in Our Graph for the Competitive Firm 277
14-3 The Supply Curve in a Competitive Market 279
14-3a The Short Run: Market Supply with a Fixed Number of Firms 279
14-3b The Long Run: Market Supply with Entry and Exit 279
14-3c Why Do Competitive Firms Stay in Business If They Make Zero Profit? 280
14-3d A Shift in Demand in the Short Run and Long Run 281
14-3e Why the Long-Run Supply Curve Might Slope Upward 282
14-4 Conclusion: Behind the Supply Curve 284
Summary 285
Key Concepts 285
Questions for Review 285
Problems and Applications 286
CHAPTER 15
Monopoly 289
15-1 Why Monopolies Arise 290
15-1a Monopoly Resources 291
15-1b Government-Created Monopolies 291
15-1c Natural Monopolies 292
15-2 How Monopolies Make Production and Pricing Decisions 293
15-2a Monopoly versus Competition 293
15-2b A Monopoly’s Revenue 294
15-2c Profit Maximization 296
15-2d A Monopoly’s Profit 298
FYI: Why a Monopoly Does Not Have a Supply Curve 298
CASE STUDY: Monopoly Drugs versus Generic Drugs 299
15-3 The Welfare Cost of Monopolies 300
15-3a The Deadweight Loss 301
15-3b The Monopoly’s Profit: A Social Cost? 303
15-4 Price Discrimination 303
15-4a A Parable about Pricing 304
15-4b The Moral of the Story 305
15-4c The Analytics of Price Discrimination 305
15-4d Examples of Price Discrimination 306
IN THE NEWS: Price Discrimination in Higher Education 308
15-5 Public Policy toward Monopolies 308
15-5a Increasing Competition with Antitrust Laws 308
15-5b Regulation 309
ASK THE EXPERTS: Airline Mergers 309
15-5c Public Ownership 310
15-5d Doing Nothing 311
15-6 Conclusion: The Prevalence of Monopolies 311
Summary 313
Key Concepts 313
Questions for Review 314
Problems and Applications 314
CHAPTER 16
Monopolistic Competition 319
16-1 Between Monopoly and Perfect Competition 320
16-2 Competition with Differentiated Products 322
16-2a The Monopolistically Competitive Firm in the Short Run 322
16-2b The Long-Run Equilibrium 323
16-2c Monopolistic versus Perfect Competition 324
16-2d Monopolistic Competition and the Welfare of Society 327
16-3 Advertising 328
16-3a The Debate over Advertising 328
CASE STUDY: Advertising and the Price of Eyeglasses 329
16-3b Advertising as a Signal of Quality 330
16-3c Brand Names 331
16-4 Conclusion 332
Summary 333
Key Concepts 334
Questions for Review 334
Problems and Applications 334
CHAPTER 17
Oligopoly 337
17-1 Markets with Only a Few Sellers 338
17-1a A Duopoly Example 338
17-1b Competition, Monopolies, and Cartels 339
17-1c The Equilibrium for an Oligopoly 340
17-1d How the Size of an Oligopoly Affects the Market Outcome 341
ASK THE EXPERTS: Nash Equilibrium 341
17-2 The Economics of Cooperation 342
17-2a The Prisoners’ Dilemma 343
17-2b Oligopolies as a Prisoners’ Dilemma 344
CASE STUDY: OPEC and the World Oil Market 345
17-2c Other Examples of the Prisoners’ Dilemma 346
17-2d The Prisoners’ Dilemma and the Welfare of Society 347
17-2e Why People Sometimes Cooperate 348
CASE STUDY: The Prisoners’ Dilemma Tournament 348
17-3 Public Policy toward Oligopolies 349
17-3a Restraint of Trade and the Antitrust Laws 349
CASE STUDY: An Illegal Phone Call 350
17-3b Controversies over Antitrust Policy 350
CASE STUDY: The Microsoft Case 352
IN THE NEWS: Europe versus Google 354
17-4 Conclusion 354
Summary 355
Key Concepts 356
Questions for Review 356
Problems and Applications 356
PART VI The Economics of Labor Markets 359
CHAPTER 18
The Markets for the Factors of Production 361
18-1 The Demand for Labor 362
18-1a The Competitive Profit-Maximizing Firm 363
18-1b The Production Function and the Marginal Product of Labor 363
18-1c The Value of the Marginal Product and the Demand for Labor 365
18-1d What Causes the Labor-Demand Curve to Shift? 366
FYI: Input Demand and Output Supply: Two Sides of the Same Coin 367
18-2 The Supply of Labor 368
18-2a The Trade-off between Work and Leisure 368
18-2b What Causes the Labor-Supply Curve to Shift? 368
ASK THE EXPERTS: Immigration 369
18-3 Equilibrium in the Labor Market 369
18-3a Shifts in Labor Supply 370
18-3b Shifts in Labor Demand 371
IN THE NEWS: The Economics of Immigration 372
CASE STUDY: Productivity and Wages 373
FYI: Monopsony 374
18-4 The Other Factors of Production: Land and Capital 375
18-4a Equilibrium in the Markets for Land and Capital 375
FYI: What Is Capital Income? 376
18-4b Linkages among the Factors of Production 377
CASE STUDY: The Economics of the Black Death 377
18-5 Conclusion 378
Summary 379
Key Concepts 379
Questions for Review 379
Problems and Applications 380
CHAPTER 19
Earnings and Discrimination 383
19-1 Some Determinants of Equilibrium Wages 384
19-1a Compensating Differentials 384
19-1b Human Capital 385
CASE STUDY: The Increasing Value of Skills 385
ASK THE EXPERTS: Inequality and Skills 386
IN THE NEWS: Schooling as a Public Investment 387
19-1c Ability, Effort, and Chance 388
CASE STUDY: The Benefits of Beauty 388
19-1d An Alternative View of Education: Signaling 389
19-1e The Superstar Phenomenon 390
19-1f Above-Equilibrium Wages: Minimum-Wage Laws, Unions, and Efficiency Wages 390
19-2 The Economics of Discrimination 391
19-2a Measuring Labor-Market Discrimination 391
CASE STUDY: Is Emily More Employable than Lakisha? 393
19-2b Discrimination by Employers 393
CASE STUDY: Segregated Streetcars and the Profit Motive 394
19-2c Discrimination by Customers and Governments 395
CASE STUDY: Discrimination in Sports 395
19-3 Conclusion 396
Summary 397
Key Concepts 398
Questions for Review 398
Problems and Applications 398
CHAPTER 20
Income Inequality and Poverty 401
20-1 The Measurement of Inequality 402
20-1a U.S. Income Inequality 402
20-1b Inequality around the World 403
IN THE NEWS: A Worldwide View of the Income Distribution 405
20-1c The Poverty Rate 406
20-1d Problems in Measuring Inequality 407
CASE STUDY: Alternative Measures of Inequality 408
20-1e Economic Mobility 409
20-2 The Political Philosophy of Redistributing Income 409
20-2a Utilitarianism 410
20-2b Liberalism 411
20-2c Libertarianism 412
20-3 Policies to Reduce Poverty 413
20-3a Minimum-Wage Laws 413
20-3b Welfare 414
20-3c Negative Income Tax 414
20-3d In-Kind Transfers 415
20-3e Antipoverty Programs and Work Incentives 415
IN THE NEWS: International Differences in Income Redistribution 416
20-4 Conclusion 418
Summary 419
Key Concepts 420
Questions for Review 420
Problems and Applications 420
PART VII Topics for Further Study 423
CHAPTER 21
The Theory of Consumer Choice 425
21-1 The Budget Constraint: What the Consumer Can Afford 426
21-2 Preferences: What the Consumer Wants 428
21-2a Representing Preferences with Indifference Curves 428
21-2b Four Properties of Indifference Curves 429
21-2c Two Extreme Examples of Indifference Curves 430
21-3 Optimization: What the Consumer Chooses 432
21-3a The Consumer’s Optimal Choices 432
FYI: Utility: An Alternative Way to Describe Preferences and Optimization 433
21-3b How Changes in Income Affect the Consumer’s Choices 434
21-3c How Changes in Prices Affect the Consumer’s Choices 435
21-3d Income and Substitution Effects 436
21-3e Deriving the Demand Curve 438
21-4 Three Applications 439
21-4a Do All Demand Curves Slope Downward? 439
CASE STUDY: The Search for Giffen Goods 440
21-4b How Do Wages Affect Labor Supply? 440
CASE STUDY: Income Effects on Labor Supply: Historical Trends, Lottery Winners, and the Carnegie Conjecture 443
21-4c How Do Interest Rates Affect Household Saving? 444
21-5 Conclusion: Do People Really Think This Way? 446
Summary 447
Key Concepts 448
Questions for Review 448
Problems and Applications 448
CHAPTER 22
Frontiers of Microeconomics 451
22-1 Asymmetric Information 452
22-1a Hidden Actions: Principals, Agents, and Moral Hazard 452
FYI: Corporate Management 453
22-1b Hidden Characteristics: Adverse Selection and the Lemons Problem 454
22-1c Signaling to Convey Private Information 455
CASE STUDY: Gifts as Signals 455
22-1d Screening to Uncover Private Information 456
22-1e Asymmetric Information and Public Policy 456
22-2 Political Economy 457
22-2a The Condorcet Voting Paradox 457
22-2b Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem 458
22-2c The Median Voter Is King 459
22-2d Politicians Are People Too 461
22-3 Behavioral Economics 461
22-3a People Aren’t Always Rational 462
22-3b People Care about Fairness 463
IN THE NEWS: Using Deviations from Rationality 464
22-3c People Are Inconsistent over Time 466
22-4 Conclusion 467
Summary 468
Key Concepts 468
Questions for Review 468
Problems and Applications 468
PART VIII The Data of Macroeconomics 471
CHAPTER 23
Measuring a Nation’s Income 473
23-1 The Economy’s Income and Expenditure 474
23-2 The Measurement of GDP 476
23-2a “GDP Is the Market Value . . .” 476
23-2b “. . . of All . . .” 476
23-2c “. . . Final . . .” 476
23-2d “. . . Goods and Services . . .” 477
23-2e “. . . Produced . . .” 477
23-2f “. . . Within a Country . . .” 477
23-2g “. . . In a Given Period of Time.” 477
FYI: Other Measures of Income 478
23-3 The Components of GDP 479
23-3a Consumption 479
23-3b Investment 479
IN THE NEWS: Sex, Drugs, and GDP 480
23-3c Government Purchases 480
23-3d Net Exports 480
CASE STUDY: The Components of U.S. GDP 481
23-4 Real versus Nominal GDP 482
23-4a A Numerical Example 482
23-4b The GDP Deflator 484
CASE STUDY: A Half Century of Real GDP 485
IN THE NEWS: Gauging the High-Tech Economy 486
23-5 Is GDP a Good Measure of Economic Well-Being? 486
IN THE NEWS: Measuring Macroeconomic Well-Being 488
CASE STUDY: International Differences in GDP and the Quality of Life 490
23-6 Conclusion 491
Summary 492
Key Concepts 492
Questions for Review 492
Problems and Applications 493
CHAPTER 24
Measuring the Cost of Living 495
24-1 The Consumer Price Index 496
24-1a How the CPI Is Calculated 496
FYI: What’s in the CPI’s Basket? 498
24-1b Problems in Measuring the Cost of Living 499
IN THE NEWS: Monitoring Inflation in the Internet Age 500
24-1c The GDP Deflator versus the Consumer Price Index 502
24-2 Correcting Economic Variables for the Effects of Inflation 503
24-2a Dollar Figures from Different Times 503
FYI: Mr. Index Goes to Hollywood 504
CASE STUDY: Regional Differences in the Cost of Living 505
24-2b Indexation 506
24-2c Real and Nominal Interest Rates 506
CASE STUDY: Interest Rates in the U.S. Economy 508
24-3 Conclusion 508
Summary 510
Key Concepts 510
Questions for Review 510
Problems and Applications 511
PART IX The Real Economy in the Long Run 513
CHAPTER 25
Production and Growth 515
25-1 Economic Growth around the World 516
25-2 Productivity: Its Role and Determinants 518
25-2a Why Productivity Is So Important 518
FYI: Are You Richer Than the Richest American? 518
25-2b How Productivity Is Determined 519
FYI: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Statistics 520
FYI: The Production Function 523
CASE STUDY: Are Natural Resources a Limit to Growth? 524
25-3 Economic Growth and Public Policy 525
25-3a Saving and Investment 525
25-3b Diminishing Returns and the Catch-Up Effect 525
25-3c Investment from Abroad 527
25-3d Education 528
25-3e Health and Nutrition 528
25-3f Property Rights and Political Stability 529
25-3g Free Trade 530
25-3h Research and Development 531
ASK THE EXPERTS: Innovation and Growth 531
IN THE NEWS: Curmudgeon versus Optimist 532
25-3i Population Growth 534
IN THE NEWS: Using Experiments to Evaluate Aid 536
25-4 Conclusion: The Importance of Long-Run Growth 538
Summary 539
Key Concepts 539
Questions for Review 539
Problems and Applications 540
CHAPTER 26
Saving, Investment, and the Financial System 541
26-1 Financial Institutions in the U.S. Economy 542
26-1a Financial Markets 542
26-1b Financial Intermediaries 544
FYI: Key Numbers for Stock Watchers 545
26-1c Summing Up 546
26-2 Saving and Investment in the National Income Accounts 547
26-2a Some Important Identities 547
26-2b The Meaning of Saving and Investment 549
26-3 The Market for Loanable Funds 549
26-3a Supply and Demand for Loanable Funds 550
26-3b Policy 1: Saving Incentives 551
26-3c Policy 2: Investment Incentives 553
26-3d Policy 3: Government Budget Deficits and Surpluses 554
ASK THE EXPERTS: Fiscal Policy and Saving 555
CASE STUDY: The History of U.S. Government Debt 556
FYI: Financial Crises 558
26-4 Conclusion 558
Summary 559
Key Concepts 560
Questions for Review 560
Problems and Applications 560
CHAPTER 27
The Basic Tools of Finance 563
27-1 Present Value: Measuring the Time Value of Money 564
FYI: The Magic of Compounding and the Rule of 70 566
27-2 Managing Risk 566
27-2a Risk Aversion 566
27-2b The Markets for Insurance 567
27-2c Diversification of Firm-Specific Risk 568
27-2d The Trade-off between Risk and Return 569
27-3 Asset Valuation 571
27-3a Fundamental Analysis 571
27-3b The Efficient Markets Hypothesis 571
CASE STUDY: Random Walks and Index Funds 572
ASK THE EXPERTS: Diversification 573
27-3c Market Irrationality 573
27-4 Conclusion 574
Summary 575
Key Concepts 575
Questions for Review 575
Problems and Applications 576
CHAPTER 28
Unemployment 577
28-1 Identifying Unemployment 578
28-1a How Is Unemployment Measured? 578
CASE STUDY: Labor-Force Participation of Men and Women in the U.S. Economy 581
28-1b Does the Unemployment Rate Measure What We Want It To? 582
28-1c How Long Are the Unemployed without Work? 584
28-1d Why Are There Always Some People Unemployed? 584
FYI: The Jobs Number 585
28-2 Job Search 586
28-2a Why Some Frictional Unemployment Is Inevitable 586
28-2b Public Policy and Job Search 586
28-2c Unemployment Insurance 587
28-3 Minimum-Wage Laws 588
CASE STUDY: Who Earns the Minimum Wage? 589
IN THE NEWS: Should the Minimum Wage Be Raised to $15 an Hour? 590
28-4 Unions and Collective Bargaining 592
28-4a The Economics of Unions 592
28-4b Are Unions Good or Bad for the Economy? 593
28-5 The Theory of Efficiency Wages 594
28-5a Worker Health 594
28-5b Worker Turnover 594
28-5c Worker Quality 595
28-5d Worker Effort 595
CASE STUDY: Henry Ford and the Very Generous $5-a-Day Wage 595
28-6 Conclusion 596
Summary 597
Key Concepts 598
Questions for Review 598
Problems and Applications 598
PART X Money and Prices in the Long Run 601
CHAPTER 29
The Monetary System 603
29-1 The Meaning of Money 604
29-1a The Functions of Money 605
29-1b The Kinds of Money 605
IN THE NEWS: Why Gold? 606
29-1c Money in the U.S. Economy 607
CASE STUDY: Where Is All the Currency? 608
FYI: Why Credit Cards Aren’t Money 609
29-2 The Federal Reserve System 609
29-2a The Fed’s Organization 609
29-2b The Federal Open Market Committee 610
29-3 Banks and the Money Supply 611
29-3a The Simple Case of 100-Percent-Reserve Banking 611
29-3b Money Creation with Fractional-Reserve Banking 612
29-3c The Money Multiplier 613
29-3d Bank Capital, Leverage, and the Financial Crisis of 2008–2009 615
29-4 The Fed’s Tools of Monetary Control 616
29-4a How the Fed Influences the Quantity of Reserves 617
29-4b How the Fed Influences the Reserve Ratio 618
29-4c Problems in Controlling the Money Supply 619
CASE STUDY: Bank Runs and the Money Supply 619
IN THE NEWS: A Trip to Jekyll Island 620
29-4d The Federal Funds Rate 621
29-5 Conclusion 622
Summary 623
Key Concepts 624
Questions for Review 624
Problems and Applications 624
CHAPTER 30
Money Growth and Inflation 627
30-1 The Classical Theory of Inflation 629
30-1a The Level of Prices and the Value of Money 629
30-1b Money Supply, Money Demand, and Monetary Equilibrium 630
30-1c The Effects of a Monetary Injection 631
30-1d A Brief Look at the Adjustment Process 632
30-1e The Classical Dichotomy and Monetary Neutrality 633
30-1f Velocity and the Quantity Equation 634
CASE STUDY: Money and Prices during Four Hyperinflations 636
30-1g The Inflation Tax 637
FYI: Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe 638
30-1h The Fisher Effect 639
30-2 The Costs of Inflation 640
30-2a A Fall in Purchasing Power? The Inflation Fallacy 641
30-2b Shoeleather Costs 641
30-2c Menu Costs 642
30-2d Relative-Price Variability and the Misallocation of Resources 642
30-2e Inflation-Induced Tax Distortions 643
30-2f Confusion and Inconvenience 644
30-2g A Special Cost of Unexpected Inflation: Arbitrary Redistributions of Wealth 645
30-2h Inflation Is Bad, but Deflation May Be Worse 646
CASE STUDY: The Wizard of Oz and the Free-Silver Debate 646
30-3 Conclusion 647
Summary 649
Key Concepts 649
Questions for Review 649
Problems and Applications 649
PART XI The Macroeconomics of Open Economies 651
CHAPTER 31
Open-Economy Macroeconomics: Basic Concepts 653
31-1 The International Flows of Goods and Capital 654
31-1a The Flow of Goods: Exports, Imports, and Net Exports 654
CASE STUDY: The Increasing Openness of the U.S. Economy 655
IN THE NEWS: The Complicated Politics of Trade Agreements 656
31-1b The Flow of Financial Resources: Net Capital Outflow 658
31-1c The Equality of Net Exports and Net Capital Outflow 659
31-1d Saving, Investment, and Their Relationship to the International Flows 660
31-1e Summing Up 661
CASE STUDY: Is the U.S. Trade Deficit a National Problem? 662
ASK THE EXPERTS: Trade Balances and Trade Negotiations 664
31-2 The Prices for International Transactions: Real and Nominal Exchange Rates 664
31-2a Nominal Exchange Rates 665
31-2b Real Exchange Rates 665
FYI: The Euro 666
31-3 A First Theory of Exchange-Rate Determination: Purchasing-Power Parity 667
31-3a The Basic Logic of Purchasing-Power Parity 668
31-3b Implications of Purchasing-Power Parity 668
CASE STUDY: The Nominal Exchange Rate during a Hyperinflation 670
31-3c Limitations of Purchasing-Power Parity 671
CASE STUDY: The Hamburger Standard 671
31-4 Conclusion 672
Summary 673
Key Concepts 673
Questions for Review 674
Problems and Applications 674
CHAPTER 32
A Macroeconomic Theory of the Open Economy 677
32-1 Supply and Demand for Loanable Funds and for Foreign-Currency Exchange 678
32-1a The Market for Loanable Funds 678
32-1b The Market for Foreign-Currency Exchange 680
FYI: Purchasing-Power Parity as a Special Case 682
32-2 Equilibrium in the Open Economy 683
32-2a Net Capital Outflow: The Link between the
Two Markets 683
32-2b Simultaneous Equilibrium in Two Markets 684
FYI: Disentangling Supply and Demand 685
32-3 How Policies and Events Affect an Open Economy 686
32-3a Government Budget Deficits 686
32-3b Trade Policy 688
32-3c Political Instability and Capital Flight 690
IN THE NEWS: Is a Strong Currency Always in a Nation’s
Interest? 692
CASE STUDY: Capital Flows from China 694
ASK THE EXPERTS: Currency Manipulation 695
32-4 Conclusion 695
Summary 696
Key Concepts 696
Questions for Review 696
Problems and Applications 697
PART XII Short-Run Economic Fluctuations 699
CHAPTER 33
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply 701
33-1 Three Key Facts about Economic Fluctuations 702
33-1a Fact 1: Economic Fluctuations Are Irregular and Unpredictable 702
33-1b Fact 2: Most Macroeconomic Quantities Fluctuate Together 704
33-1c Fact 3: As Output Falls, Unemployment Rises 704
33-2 Explaining Short-Run Economic Fluctuations 33-2a The Assumptions of Classical Economics 705
33-2b The Reality of Short-Run Fluctuations 705
33-2c The Model of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply 706
33-3 The Aggregate-Demand Curve 707
33-3a Why the Aggregate-Demand Curve Slopes Downward 707
33-3b Why the Aggregate-Demand Curve Might Shift 710
33-4 The Aggregate-Supply Curve 712
33-4a Why the Aggregate-Supply Curve Is Vertical in the Long Run 712
33-4b Why the Long-Run Aggregate-Supply Curve Might Shift 713
33-4c Using Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply to Depict Long-Run Growth and Inflation 715
33-4d Why the Aggregate-Supply Curve Slopes Upward in the Short Run 716
33-4e Why the Short-Run Aggregate-Supply Curve Might Shift 720
33-5 Two Causes of Economic Fluctuations 721
33-5a The Effects of a Shift in Aggregate Demand 722
FYI: Monetary Neutrality Revisited 724
CASE STUDY: Two Big Shifts in Aggregate Demand: The Great Depression and World War II 725
CASE STUDY: The Great Recession of 2008–2009 726
IN THE NEWS: What Have We Learned? 728
33-5b The Effects of a Shift in Aggregate Supply 728
CASE STUDY: Oil and the Economy 731
FYI: The Origins of the Model of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply 732
33-6 Conclusion 733
Summary 734
Key Concepts 734
Questions for Review 735
Problems and Applications 735
CHAPTER 34
The Influence of Monetary and Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Demand 737
34-1 How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand 738
34-1a The Theory of Liquidity Preference 739
34-1b The Downward Slope of the Aggregate-Demand
Curve 741
FYI: Interest Rates in the Long Run and the Short Run 742
34-1c Changes in the Money Supply 743
34-1d The Role of Interest-Rate Targets in Fed Policy 745
CASE STUDY: Why the Fed Watches the Stock Market (and Vice Versa) 745
34-1e The Zero Lower Bound 746
34-2 How Fiscal Policy Influences Aggregate Demand 747
34-2a Changes in Government Purchases 747
34-2b The Multiplier Effect 748
34-2c A Formula for the Spending Multiplier 748
34-2d Other Applications of the Multiplier Effect 750
34-2e The Crowding-Out Effect 750
34-2f Changes in Taxes 752
FYI: How Fiscal Policy Might Affect Aggregate Supply 752
34-3 Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy 753
34-3a The Case for Active Stabilization Policy 753
IN THE NEWS: How Large Is the Fiscal Policy Multiplier? 754
CASE STUDY: Keynesians in the White House 756
ASK THE EXPERTS: Economic Stimulus 756
34-3b The Case against Active Stabilization Policy 756
34-3c Automatic Stabilizers 758
34-4 Conclusion 758
Summary 759
Key Concepts 760
Questions for Review 760
Problems and Applications 760
CHAPTER 35
The Short-Run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment 763
35-1 The Phillips Curve 764
35-1a Origins of the Phillips Curve 764
35-1b Aggregate Demand, Aggregate Supply, and the Phillips Curve 765
35-2 Shifts in the Phillips Curve: The Role of Expectations 767
35-2a The Long-Run Phillips Curve 767
35-2b The Meaning of “Natural” 769
35-2c Reconciling Theory and Evidence 770
35-2d The Short-Run Phillips Curve 771
35-2e The Natural Experiment for the Natural-Rate Hypothesis 772
35-3 Shifts in the Phillips Curve: The Role of Supply Shocks 773
35-4 The Cost of Reducing Inflation 776
35-4a The Sacrifice Ratio 777
35-4b Rational Expectations and the Possibility of Costless Disinflation 778
35-4c The Volcker Disinflation 779
35-4d The Greenspan Era 780
35-4e A Financial Crisis Takes Us for a Ride along the Phillips Curve 781
35-5 Conclusion 782
Summary 784
Key Concepts 784
Questions for Review 784
Problems and Applications 784
PART XIII Final Thoughts 787
CHAPTER 36
Six Debates over Macroeconomic Policy 789
36-1 Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try to Stabilize the Economy? 790
36-1a Pro: Policymakers Should Try to Stabilize the Economy 790
36-1b Con: Policymakers Should Not Try to Stabilize the Economy 790
36-2 Should the Government Fight Recessions with Spending Hikes Rather Than Tax Cuts? 792
36-2a Pro: The Government Should Fight Recessions with Spending Hikes 792
36-2b Con: The Government Should Fight Recessions with Tax Cuts 793
36-3 Should Monetary Policy Be Made by Rule Rather Than by Discretion? 794
36-3a Pro: Monetary Policy Should Be Made by Rule 795
36-3b Con: Monetary Policy Should Not Be Made by Rule 796
FYI: Inflation Targeting 797
36-4 Should the Central Bank Aim for Zero Inflation? 797
36-4a Pro: The Central Bank Should Aim for Zero Inflation 798
36-4b Con: The Central Bank Should Not Aim for Zero
Inflation 799
IN THE NEWS: On Kiwis and Currencies 800
36-5 Should the Government Balance Its Budget? 802
36-5a Pro: The Government Should Balance Its Budget 802
36-5b Con: The Government Should Not Balance Its Budget 803
36-6 Should the Tax Laws Be Reformed to Encourage Saving? 805
36-6a Pro: The Tax Laws Should Be Reformed to Encourage Saving 805
ASK THE EXPERTS: Taxing Capital and Labor 806
36-6b Con: The Tax Laws Should Not Be Reformed to Encourage Saving 806
36-7 Conclusion 807
Summary 808
Questions for Review 809
Problems and Applications 809
Glossary 811
Index 819