ECON 315 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Dean Karlan, Microcredit, Fixed Capital

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olivepanda926

23 Jun 2017

School

University of Maryland

Department

Economics

Course

ECON 315

Professor

Saltiel

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Document Summary

This does not seem to be the case: Most loans appear to be taken for productive purposes. However it could be that only those with high rates of return agree to borrow: More direct evidence on returns to capital is given by an experiment in sri lanka. The returns to capital for micro-entrepreneurs: sri lanka. Starting from a census, identified 405 households which had a small business (retail or manufacturing) with less than in fixed capital (excluding land and building) Most of the firms have very little in the way of assets (about in machinery or stock) Conducted a survey and offered, as an encouragement to participate in the survey, a random prize drawing: Prize was a small grant (100-200) either in cash, an asset, or stock. For these firms 100 is equivalent to 3-6 months of their own profit. Wanted to see if the effect of the small grants on the ability to growing their profits.

Related Questions

Moral hazard is not eliminated in debt financing because

A) borrowers have an incentive to assume greater risk than is in the interest of the lender.

B) firms with a great deal of debt often go bankrupt.

C) principal-agent problems are greater with debt financing than with equity financing.

D) the use of restrictive covenants tends to increase moral hazard.

Why are corporations more likely to raise funds externally by debt instead of equity?

A) moral hazard is less of a problem with debt contracts

B) transactions costs tend to be higher in the stock market than bond market

C) to avoid paying dividends

D) interest rates tend to be lower than dividend rates

Which of the following is NOT a bank liability?

A) checkable deposits

B) CDs

C) mortgage loans

D) borrowings from the Federal Reserve

Banks use repurchase agreements to

A) ensure that payments on consumer loans are made on time.

B) borrow funds from business firms or other banks.

C) guard against price fluctuations on long-term bonds.

D) ensure that they always have enough funds on hand to meet their federal tax liabilities.

If a bank has a leverage ratio of 0.1 and a return on capital of 2%, what is its return on equity?

A) 0.2%

B) 2.1%

C) 5%

D) 20%

Which of the following statements about checking deposits is true?

A) It is a liability for both households and banks.

B) It is an asset for both households and banks.

C) It is an asset for households but a liability for a bank.

D) It is a liability for households but an asset for a bank.

brownherring865

Ques. 1 Read the following comprehension and answer the given questions . (2 x 2= 4 marks)

People often ask economists for predictions about the future of the macroeconomy. Forecasts about the economyâs future, even from experts, are not unlike a baseball writerâs prediction of who will play in the next World Series. The prediction can seem well-reasoned and logical, but it is hardly foolproof. Certain statistical series tend to move in similar ways through all business cycles. Knowledge of these series and their tendencies can provide some insight into future business cycle movements. The Conference Board, a not-for-profit organization, publishes monthly updates of what is called the âindex of leading economic indicators.â The index is a weighted average of 10 statistical series that usually lead, or begin turning upward and downward, before the overall economy does. Because not all the components of the index turn before the business cycle hits a peak or a trough, movements in the index are more reliable than the movement in any one of its components. Among the most reliable of the leading indicators is an index of prices for 500 common stocks. Investors want to buy stock shares when their prices are relatively low and sell shares when prices are relatively high. During a recession, stock prices fall due to sluggish sales and profits. Interest rates are relatively low during the last months of recessions because of reduced demand for investment. In choosing between buying bonds and stocks, investors will favor stocks when: (a) stock prices have fallen to a point where there is a strong possibility of future capital gains, and (b) the opportunity cost of buying stocksâthe interest rate on bondsâis low. Therefore, prices of common stocks will usually begin to rise during the late stages of a business cycle, before a business expansion begins. As the economy moves near full employment during an expansion, the situation is reversed. Strong demand for consumer goods and investment will drive prices and interest rates upward. At some point, investors sell stocks to realize capital gains and buy bonds, rather than stocks, to take advantage of high interest rates. The downward movement in stock prices will usually begin before a recession begins.

a. Scientists make accurate predictions of the movement of asteroids and comets. Why canât economists make accurate predictions of business cycle movements?

b. Assume that the U.S. economy is in a recession. Mild weather results in lower demand for energy and a reduction in the price of oil. Investors interpret this as positive news for firms because their costs of production will be lowered. An increase in stock prices results. Will an economic expansion follow?

erinherring531

Question 3

According to Joseph Schumpeter, the theory of creative destruction describes a process by which

	A	some new products unleash a gale of destruction that drive other new products out of the market.
B		new products unleash a gale of destruction that drives old products out of the market.
C		new products are created by the destruction of capital.
D		the creation of new products never involves the destruction of old products.

Question 4

Which of the following countries had the highest GDP per capita in 2012?

		A Qatar
B		United States
C		Japan
D		Norway

Question 5

________ save a ________ of their income. This ________ capital in their economy and raises economic growth.

	A	Developing countries; large proportion; decreases
B		Developing countries; small proportion; increases
C		High-income countries; large proportion; increases
D		High-income countries; small proportion; increases

Question 6

The demand for loanable funds is determined by the willingness of ________ to borrow money to engage in new investment projects.

A		government
B		households
C		banks
D		firms

Question 7

The U.S. economy has been more stable since 1950.

True

False

Question 8

When the economy reaches a trough in a business cycle, which of the following will occur?

A		Income, production, and employment will continue to fall.
B		Income, production, and employment will begin to rise.
C		Income and production will rise, but employment will continue to fall.
D		Employment rises, but income and production will continue to fall.

Question 9

In a closed economy, what is the relationship between saving and investment?

A		Saving is greater than investment.
B		Investment is greater than saving.
C		Investment is equal to saving.
D		Investment may be greater or smaller than saving.

Question 10

The per-worker production function shows the relationship between ________ per hour worked and ________ per hour worked, holding ________ constant.

A		labor; real GDP; technology
B		capital; real GDP; technology
C		labor; capital; real GDP
D		capital; labor; real GDP

Question 11

New growth theory states that increases in ________ capital will result in ________ at the ________ level.

	A	knowledge; increasing returns to scale; firm
	B	physical; decreasing returns to scale; firm
	C	knowledge; decreasing returns to scale; economy
D		knowledge; increasing returns to scale; economy

Question 12

Which of the following is not a reason why the Industrial Revolution occurred when and where it did?

A		The British government was committed to upholding private property rights.
B		The British government was able to eliminate arbitrary increases in taxes.
C		The British government was able to more easily seize wealth.
D		Institutional changes by the British government helped protect wealth.

Question 13

Growth in real GDP per capita for the world economy was greatest during

A		the seventeenth century.
B		the eighteenth century.
C		the nineteenth century.
D		the twentieth century.

Question 14

Which of the following is a normative statement about economic growth?

A		Economic growth is associated with higher labor productivity growth.
B		Economic growth increases GDP per capita.
C		Economic growth hurts developing countries.
D		Foreign direct investment stimulates economic growth.

Question 15

The effect of a recession on a company like Whirlpool Corporation is such that

A		sales decline more sharply for Whirlpool as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
B		profits fall less sharply as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
C		the decline in sales is more short-lived as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.
D		there is no difference in the impact of the recession on its profits as compared to firms that do not produce durable goods.

Question 16

For the recessions in the United States since the 1950s,

A		cyclical unemployment has been non-existent.
B		unemployment rises on average by about 1.2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
C		unemployment falls on average by 2 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.
D		unemployment rises on average about 5 percentage points 12 months after a recession begins.

Question 17

You are an economic advisor to the president. You are asked to recommend a policy to promote long-term economic growth in the economy. Which of the following policies would you choose?

A		a reduction in sales taxes
B		an investment tax credit
C		a reduction in taxes on luxury yachts
D		All of these

Question 18

In comparison to a government that runs a balanced budget, when the government runs a budget deficit,

	A	the equilibrium interest rate will fall.
	B	business investment will fall.
	C	household savings will fall.
	D	None of these

Question 19

If labor productivity growth slows down in a country, this means that the growth rate in ________ has declined.

A		labor force participation
B		the quantity of goods or services that can be produced by one hour of work
C		the working-age population
D		nominal GDP

Question 20

Policies to promote growth by increasing saving and investment work through

A		decreasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
B		increasing the supply of loanable funds, increasing the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.
C		increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, lowering the level of investment in physical capital.
D		increasing the supply of loanable funds, lowering the interest rate, raising the level of investment in physical capital.

ECON 315 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Dean Karlan, Microcredit, Fixed Capital

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