|Microeconomics |
|N. Gregory Mankiw |
| |
| |
|Inga Oswald |
|Semester I 2010/2011 |
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Part 1 - Introduction
Chapter 1 – The Principles of Economics
Scarcity = the limited nature of society's resources
Economics = the study of how society manages its scarce resources
• “Economy” is Greek for “managing a household”
HOW PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS
1. People Face Tradeoffs Making decisions requires trading off one goal against another. (Es geht um Kompromisse; man opfert eine Alternative um der anderen Willen)
A classic tradeoff is between “guns and butter” (military vs. living standard) • Leisure time vs. work • Food vs. clothing • Efficienty vs. equity . Efficiency = the property of society getting the most it can from its scarce resources.
Equity = the property