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.

Discount Rate

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

Balance of Payments

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

Capital Deepening

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

Budget Surplus

A situation in which government revenue exceeds expenditures.

Diseconomies of Scale

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

Complementary Goods

Goods that are often used together.

Depression

A severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity.

Contractionary Monetary Policy

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

Economies of Scale

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

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.

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.

Budget Deficit

A situation in which government expenditures exceed revenue.

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.

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.

Aggregate Demand

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

Contractionary Fiscal Policy

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

Deadweight Loss

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

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.

Aggregate Supply

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

Endogenous Variables

Variables determined within the model.

Classical Economics

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

Coincident Economic Indicators

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