Business Cycle

A cycle or series of cycles of economic expansion and contraction.

Absolute Advantage

The ability of an individual, firm, or country to produce more of a good or service than competitors, using the same amount of resources.

Automatic Stabilizers

Economic policies and programs that are designed to offset fluctuations in a nation's economic activity without intervention by the government or policymakers.

Discount Rate

The interest rate set by the central bank for loans to commercial banks.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

A measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care.

Endogenous Variables

Variables determined within the model.

Budget Surplus

A situation in which government revenue exceeds expenditures.

Contractionary Monetary Policy

A policy by a central bank to decrease the money supply, usually by raising interest rates.

Budget Deficit

A situation in which government expenditures exceed revenue.

Complementary Goods

Goods that are often used together.

Deadweight Loss

A loss of economic efficiency that can occur when the free market equilibrium for a good or a service is not achieved.

Cross Elasticity of Demand

A measure of the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in the price of another good.

Aggregate Demand

The total demand for final goods and services in an economy at a given time.

Diminishing Marginal Utility

A principle stating that as a person increases consumption of a product, there is a decline in the marginal utility that person derives from consuming each additional unit of that product.

Economies of Scale

The cost advantage that arises with increased output of a product.

Contractionary Fiscal Policy

Government policy that attempts to reduce the level of economic activity through decreased spending or increased taxes.

Capital Deepening

An increase in the amount of capital per worker; one source of rising labor productivity.

Balance of Payments

A record of all transactions made between one particular country and all other countries during a specified period of time.

Aggregate Supply

The total supply of goods and services that firms in an economy plan on selling during a specific time period.

Cyclical Unemployment

Unemployment that results when the overall demand for goods and services in an economy cannot support full employment.

Comparative Advantage

The ability of an individual, firm, or country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than competitors.

Classical Economics

An economic theory that emphasizes the role of free-market forces, allowing them to operate without government intervention.

Depression

A severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity.

Coincident Economic Indicators

Economic indicators that usually change at the same time as the whole economy.

Diseconomies of Scale

The disadvantages that arise due to the increase in size of an organization, leading to inefficiencies.