What are Negative Externalities? Negative externalities occur when the product and/or consumption of a good or service exerts a negative effect on a third party independent of the transaction. An ordinary transaction involves two parties, i.e., a consumer and the producer, who are referred to as the first and second parties in the transaction. Any…
What is the Hoover Index? The Hoover Index is one of the simplest inequality metrics that are used to measure the deviation from the preferred equal distribution. The index is equal to the portion of community income that would be taken from the richer half of the population and given to the other poorer half…
What is a Comparative Advantage? In economics, a comparative advantage occurs when a country can produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than another country. The theory of comparative advantage is attributed to political economist David Ricardo, who wrote the book Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817). Ricardo used the theory…
What is a Contractionary Monetary Policy? A contractionary monetary policy is a type of monetary policy that is intended to reduce the rate of monetary expansion to fight inflation. A rise in inflation is considered the primary indicator of an overheated economy, which can be the result of extended periods of economic growth. The policy…
What is an Expansionary Monetary Policy? An expansionary monetary policy is a type of macroeconomic monetary policy that aims to increase the rate of monetary expansion to stimulate the growth of a domestic economy. The economic growth must be supported by additional money supply. The money injection boosts consumer spending, as well as increases capital…
What is Government Spending? Government spending refers to money spent by the public sector on the acquisition of goods and provision of services such as education, healthcare, social protection, and defense. In national income accounting, when the government acquires goods and services for current use to directly satisfy the individual or collective needs and requirements of…
What is the Tragedy of the Commons? The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory that states that individuals use up resources shared by many to benefit themselves. The reality is often that because individuals tend to act in a selfish way, using resources shared by a group, everyone ends up suffering in the…
What is Laissez-faire? Laissez-faire is a French phrase that translates to “allow to do.” It refers to a political ideology that rejects the practice of government intervention in an economy. Further, the state is seen as an obstacle to economic growth and development. The term originated in the 18th century during the Industrial Revolution. French…
What is Protectionism? Protectionism is the practice of following protectionist trade policies. A protectionist trade policy allows the government of a country to promote domestic producers, and thereby boost the domestic production of goods and services by imposing tariffs or otherwise limiting foreign goods and services in the marketplace. Protectionist policies also allow the government to…
What is the Current Account? One of three components of a country’s balance of payments system, the current account is the country’s trade balance, or the balance of imports and exports of goods and services, plus earnings on foreign investments minus payments to foreign investors. The other two components are the capital account and the…
