ECO102H1 Lecture 17: Aggregate Demand And Supply

1. Which of the following shifts aggregate demand to the right?
a. Congress reduces purchases of new weapons systems.
b. US exports increase.
c. The price level falls
d. New developments in IT increase the productivity of most manufacturing industries in the US.

2. Suppose the EPA introduces new smog regulation that makes it costlier to produce cars. As a result, aggregate supply falls (primary effect) and firms cut back on production. With less output in the economy available for consumers, consumers bid up the prices of available output. With higher prices, firms choose to produce more (secondary effect).
Which of the following best explains what the net effect on GDP?
a. The two effects should essentially cancel out, with little to no effect on GDP, but the price level clearly rises.
b. It is impossible to say what happens to GDP without being able to compare the magnitudes of the two effects.
c. Real GDP rises as the secondary effect dominates the primary effect.
d. Real GDP falls since the primary effect dominates the secondary effect.

3. A Keynesian economist who observes an output gap would conclude that
a. aggregate demand should be shifted to the right.
b. a policy of deregulation would be better than demand management policy
c. aggregate supply should be shifted to the right
d. All proposed answer options are correct

4. Monetarists believe
a. the Aggregate Supply curve is upward-sloping (but not vertical) over all time frames.
b. the Aggregate Supply curve can be treated as horizontal in the long run (over 10 years
c. the Aggregate Supply curve is vertical only in the very long run (over 20 years).
d. the Aggregate Supply curve can be treated as vertical in the short-to-medium run (1-2 years)

5. Suppose the price of oil increases due to conflict in the Middle East. How will this be illustrated in the AD-AS model?
a. The aggregate demand curve will shift to the left
b. The aggregate supply curve will shift to the left.
c. The aggregate demand curve will shift to the right
d. The aggregate supply curve will shift to the right

6. Assume a Keynesian AS curve. In the short run, when there is a large output gap
a. contractionary demand management policy is likely to be highly inflationary
b. expansionary demand management policy does not cause much inflation.
c. expansionary demand management policy is likely to be highly inflationary
d. the government should use contractionary demand management policy

7. As a result of Bush tax cuts that partially expired in January 2013, the marginal tax rates for some households increased and these households paid higher taxes. Which of the following would be the best description of the tax cut expiration?
a. Rightward shift in AS
b. Rightward shift in AD
c. Leftward shift in AD
d. Leftward shift in AS

8. Suppose that the U.S. government increases income taxes on individuals earning more than $500,000/year and uses the revenue from this tax increase to subsidize the cost of energy for businesses. How will this policy change affect the U.S. economy?
a. The effect on output is ambiguous but price level will decrease for sure
b. The effect on both output and price level is ambiguous.
c. The effect on price level is ambiguous but output will increase for sure
d. The effect on price level is ambiguous but output will decrease for sure

9. If Australia, which imports goods from the United States, went into recession, we would expect that U.S. net exports would
a. rise, making aggregate demand shift right.
b. rise, making aggregate demand shift left
c. fall, making aggregate demand shift left
d. fall, making aggregate demand shift right

10. Suppose that Greece decides to exit the European Union and the Euro Zone, causing a boost in business confidence in European markets. How would you illustrate the primary effect of Greece’s decision in the AD-AS model for the EU economy?

Note: for this question, assume that Y in the AD-AS model represents output (GDP) of EU member countries without Greece.
a. a shift in the aggregate supply curve to the left and a shift in the aggregate demand curve to the left
b. a shift in the aggregate demand curve to the right
c. a shift in the aggregate demand curve to the left
d. movement along the aggregate demand curve to the left

11. The Austrian school of thought believes that demand management policy should not be used because
a. big government prefers deregulation, which shifts aggregate supply
b. the economy is always at full employment
c. shifting AD to the right is likely to cause deflation
d. big government has a bias towards inflationary policy

MBA502, Economics for Business

Apply and Discover 7.2

You are responsible for economic policymaking in your country. Your desire is to eliminate inflation, keeping prices absolutely stable at P = 100, no matter what happens to output. Currently, the economy is in equilibrium at Q = 3200 (where Q = potential GDP) and P = 100. You can use monetary and fiscal policies to affect aggregate demand but you cannot affect aggregate supply in the short run. How would you respond to the following scenarios?

Explain and illustrate how each of these events would affect aggregate demand, aggregate supply, and prices, then explain how you would respond with economic policies.

1. A surprise increase in investment spending

In the short run, when investment spending increases, it results in an increase in Aggregate Demand (AD), which in turn pushes up both GPD and the price index.

To counterbalance this development, government might pursue contractionary fiscal policy by increasing taxes (to reduce consumption) or decreasing its own investment and spending so that the AD curve shifts back to its original position. Alternatively, the government can pursue contractionary monetary policy by reducing money supply and increasing interest rate to discourage economic activity.

2. Catastrophic floods that cause a sharp food price increase

In this case, sharp food shortages and consequent price increases cause a shock-type adjustment of the aggregate supply curve (it shift up and to the left). The result is a lower GDP and a higher price level.

The government cannot do anything to adjust AS in the short run. However, if the goal is to maintain the price level constant, the government can decide to do something to decrease the aggregate demand to force prices to come down, though it will be accompanies by another contraction in GDP and so it would not be a smart thing to do.

To cause AD to decrease, the government, similar to example above, can pursue fiscal policy (increase taxes, decrease spending) or monetary policy (reduce supply of money to the economy and thus increase interest rates).

3. A productivity decline that reduces potential output

In this case, AS shifts to the left, as was the case in example 2. As a result, price levels go up, as the same amount of money is chasing the reduced amount of goods and services, and GDP declines.

Government remedies here would be centered about causing AD to decrease through contractionary fiscal (higher taxes, lower spending) or monetary (reduce money supply and increase interest rates) policy. Again, this decision reduces inflation but at expense of GDP, as real output shrinks further.

4. A deep depression in East Asia that causes a sharp decrease in net exports to the United States

A decrease in exports of goods to from the United States to Asia will mean that the aggregate demand (which includes net exports