Economics 121 Quiz Answers: Macroeconomics

I just put this in for fun. It has no real purpose.

Homework

Macroeconomic Aggregates


  1. Calculate GDP in real dollars. Use IPD rather than CPI for this.
  2. Calculate the average annual percent change in real GDP for each administration. You can use the following procedure: calculate the percent change for the administration and divide by 4 (divide by 3 for Clinton). 
  3. Draw a graph plotting change in real GDP (on the y axis) against average NPI/GDP (on the x axis). 
  4. Calculate the average annual rate of inflation for each administration. 
  5. Draw a graph plotting the average annual rate of inflation (on the y axis) against unemployment (on the x axis). 
1.
2.
4.
Date
Admin
Real GDP
GDP Growth
Inflation
1961
2247.2
1965
Kennedy/Johnson
2804.8
6.2%
1.3%
1969
Johnson
3379.9
5.1%
3.6%
1973
Nixon
3875.9
3.7%
5.0%
1977
Nixon/Ford
4175.8
1.9%
9.4%
1981
Carter
4740.2
3.4%
12.1%
1985
Reagan
5258.1
2.7%
5.2%
1989
Reagan
6007.8
3.6%
3.6%
1993
Bush
6328.7
1.3%
4.4%
1996
Clinton
6813.6
2.6%
2.8%
Figure 1 - Part 3. 

Figure 2 - Part 5. 

 

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Quiz 8

1. (2 points) During which administration was GDP growth the greatest? How much was it?

Kennedy/Johnson: 6.2% per year.

2. (2 points) During which administration was inflation the greatest? How much was it?

Carter: 12.1% year.

3. (4 points) Why should the ratio of net investment to GDP be more important in determining the level of future growth than either the real or nominal level of net investment?

The effect of some amount of net investment will depend on how big the economy is. For example, $100 billion of net investment is not much in a $7,000 billion economy but it would be a lot in a $700 billion economy.

4. (6 points) Draw a graph of aggregate demand (AD) and aggregate supply (AS). Shift the curves in a way consistent with the changes in the price level (% CPI) and real output (% real GDP) during the Kennedy/Johnson administration (1961-1965). Explain your graph briefly.



During the Kennedy/Johnson administration, GDP grew rapidly while inflation was rather low. The graph shows a large increase in GDP and a small increase in the price level. This is possibly due to a large shift in AS along with a shift in AD.

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Quiz 9

Suppose that the aggregate consumption function in a simple model of national income determination is given by the equation: 


Suppose that we also know that equilibrium national income is 2500.

 

1. Put names, numerical values, and arrowheads on the lines in the circular flow diagram at the right.

2. Show the equilibrium graphically on the grid provided. (Show the "Keynesian cross.")

3. If planned investment increases by 100, will savings rise or fall? Show the effect on the graph. Savings will rise by 100 also.

 

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Quiz 10

In the table are actual data for macroeconomic aggregates for the United States in billions of real (1992) dollars.
Year
Income/
Output
(Y/AD)
Consump-
tion
(C)
Invest-
ment
(I)
Govern-
ment
(G)
Net
Taxes
(T)
Govt.
Deficit
Disposable
Income
(Yd)
Savings
(S)
1994
6713
4473
980
1260
1186
84
5527
1054
1995
6848
4578
1010
1260
1201
59
5647
1069
a) (4 points) Fill in the missing values in the table.

1994: 

Find I from the equation AD = C + I + G: I = 980 

Find T from Deficit = G - T: T = 1186 

Find Yd from Yd = Y - T: Yd = 5527 

Find S from Y = C + S + T or Yd = C + S or I + G = S + T: S = 1054

1995: 

Find Yd from Yd = Y - T: Yd = 5647

b) (4 points) Based on the information in the table, provide an estimate of the marginal propensity to consume. 

Find the slope (b = mpc) of the consumption function C = a + b(Y - T). 

Method 1) Calculate C and (Y-T). Then mpc = C/(Y-T): 

C = 4578-4473=105 

(Y-T)=(6848-1201)-(6713-1186)=120 

mpc = C/(Y-T) = 105/120 = 0.875

Method 2: Fill in values for C, Y and T for 1994 and 1995 and solve for a and b 

1994: 4473 = a + b(6713-1186) 

1995: 4578 = a + b(6848-1201)

Subtract one equation from the other: 

4578-4473 = [a + b(6848-1201)] - [a + b(6713-1186)] 

105 = [a + b(5647)] - [a + b(5527)] 

105 = 5647 b - 5527 b = (5647-5527)b 

105 = 120 b 

b = 105/120 = 0.875 = mpc

c) (4 points) Had taxes not risen (hint), what do you predict national income would have been in 1995?

If taxes (T) had not changed, the only change would have been in investment (I) as government purchases stayed the same. To calculate the effect of a change in investment on national income, use the formula

Y = (multiplier)I

where

multiplier = 1/(1-b) = 1/(1-0.875) = 8

The change in investment is I=30 so national income would have risen by 240 (240 = 8 x 30) to 6713+240 = 6953. 

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Quiz 11

 

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Comments to Anthony Becker at becker@stolaf.edu

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