2. ECONOMICS What does it mean to me? Part II: ScarcityScarcity Opportunity costOpportunity cost Supply & demandSupply & demand

3. Scarcity The essential question in Economics is: Scarcity

4. Scarcity: Insufficient supply of something where “insufficient” is interpreted relative to the desires of a group of people. For instance, antiques are valued for their scarcity….

5. 1.) Everything we want is not freely available from nature. We have unlimited wants and limited resources.

6. 2.) Everyone must give up something to get more of other things, called trade- offs.

7. 3.) It takes resources to get “things.” Those resources could be used to make “other things.”

8. 4.) In market settings, goods have positive prices. x Quadrant I y Quadrant IV Quadrant II Quadrant III Economists generally use quadrant 1 to graph their equations.

9. 5.) For public policies as well as private decisions, there can be NO benefits without costs.

10. Some economists argue that we are worse off because of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). What are the “costs” of having a government administrative agency control the food and drugs a society can consume?

11. What are the advantages of government imposed speed limits on public highways? What are the “costs” to you of having your speed limited?

12. Scarcity is NOT: the same as poverty. (eg. Goods can be scarce in United States AND Somalia. However, scarcity isn’t going away; poverty might.) the same as shortage. (eg. Whether you have a shortage or not depends upon how you handle the rationing problem made necessary by scarcity)

13. If I have 5 CDs to give away, how should we decide to ration them? Contest Force Lottery Auction Age Strongest Government decree Barter In a market economy, PRICE is the mechanism used to ration goods. ShareShare equally SurvivalSurvival of the fittest ArbitraryArbitrary decision RandomRandom selection VoteVote BlackmailBlackmail ScavengerScavenger Hunt Wait in line

14. What if those incentives changed? So……you’ve made a decision--what incentives affected it?

15. When P = cost of doing A (When the PRICE goes UP, the cost of doing ANYTHING goes UP) 100 200 300 QUANTITY PRICEPRICEPRICEPRICE $30$20$10

16. Never say “need” or “can’t afford. Everyone afford anything...they just make choices….. Never say “need” or “can’t afford. Everyone can afford anything...they just make choices….. NEED: At the price I face and the amount I can afford, I want it…..

17. This “choice” must be among alternatives. If there is no alternative or if you “can’t choose” for some reason, then it is not an economic problem.

18. Scarcity implies that CHOICES must be made.

19. SleepSleep FoodFood DrinkDrink EducationEducation IntimacyIntimacy SportsSports TVTV MusicMusic Most choices (not all…but many) are of the “little more” or “little less” variety, rather than the “all or nothing” variety.

20. It is marginal benefits and costs that matter. Marginal benefits fall with quantity. QUANTITY PRICE

21. Opportunity Cost: The next best alternative given up to get something.

22. Things have prices... Decisions have costs…..

23. ALL ACTIVITIES HAVE COSTS (School, date, consumer decisions, producer decisions, etc.) BECAUSE OF SCARCITY Marginal costs rise with quantity--since marginal benefits fall with quantity, we stop doing things at some “best” amount.

24. How this looks on a graph: MC (marginal cost) MB (marginal benefit) (Food, sleep, date, study, etc.) A too little little A * A * A too high QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE SUPPLY DEMAND EQUALIBRIUM

25. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter said that the bicycle was the most efficient means of transportation. What did he mean? What did he mean? FULL costs matter (not a portion or just money).

26. Costs are subjective…..like benefits. This means that costs and benefits are particular to a given person…..they exist only in each individuals’ mind.

27. Jodi Foster went to Yale University at a time when she had a big movie career. What were her costs? benefits?

28. Costs must be in the future, since they come from current decisions. “Sunk” costs and “historical” costs don’t matter…..they are irrelevant to current decisions. For example: Those who died in Vietnam are “sunk” costs.

29. Let’s look at the graph again: MC (marginal cost) MB (marginal benefit) (Food, sleep, date, study, etc.) A too little A * A too high A too little A * A too high QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S (supply) D (demand) E (equalibrium)

30. This graph also illustrates two economic laws: LAW of SUPPLY LAW of DEMAND

31. LAW of SUPPLY states that producers are willing and able to produce more of a good as its price rises. MC (marginal cost) (Food, sleep, date, study, etc.) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S (supply) $80 $70 $60 $50 $40 $30 $20 $10 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

32. LAW of DEMAND states that consumers are willing and able to consume less of a good as its price rises. MB (marginal benefit) (Food, sleep, date, study, etc.) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE D (demand) $80 $70 $60 $50 $40 $30 $20 $10 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

33. Putting these two curves together gives us the point of Putting these two curves together gives us the point of EQUALIBRIUM (Food, sleep, date, study, etc.) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S (supply) D (demand) E (equalibrium) $80 $70 $60 $50 $40 $30 $20 $10 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

34. In a market economy, the price of a good signals to consumers the cost of producing a good. MARKET PRICE also signals to producers the value that consumers place on a good. Market price coordinates the actions of consumers (demand) and producers (supply).

35. What happens when changes occur in the economy? How do these changes affect supply and demand?

36. Does this example affect the supply curve or the demand curve? This month the government expects 100,000 immigrants to enter the U.S.

37. Chart I: Demand increase (P ; Q ) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S D0D0D0D0 E0E0 P0P0 Q0Q0 P1P1 E1E1 This month the government expects 100,000 immigrants to enter the U.S. D1D1D1D1 Q1Q1

38. Gas prices increase dramatically. What happens to the market for big automobiles? Does this example affect the supply curve or the demand curve?

39. Chart II: Demand decrease (P ; Q ) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S E0E0 P0P0 Q0Q0 P1P1 Q1Q1 E1E1 Gas prices increase dramatically. What happens to the market for big automobiles? D0D0D0D0 D1D1D1D1

40. Plentiful oil fields are discovered in Nevada. What happens to the market for oil? Does this example affect the supply curve or the demand curve?

41. Chart III: Supply Increase (P ; Q ) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S0S0S0S0 D E0E0 P0P0 Q0Q0 P1P1 Q1Q1 E1E1 Plentiful oil fields are discovered in Nevada. What happens to the market for oil? S1S1S1S1

42. A drought has depleted the corn crop. What happens to the market for corn? Does this example affect the supply curve or the demand curve?

43. Chart IV: Supply Decrease (P ; Q ) QUANTITY P PPRIRICECEPPRIRICECE S0S0S0S0 D E0E0 P0P0 Q0Q0 P1P1 Q1Q1 E1E1 A drought has depleted the corn crop. What happens to the market for corn? S1S1S1S1

44. The End Compiled by Virginia H. Meachum Coral Springs High School