Spring 2024 Principles of Macroeconomics (OP)

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Northwest Missouri State University *

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52150

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Economics

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Apr 3, 2024

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Principles of Macroeconomics, Spring 2024 Assignment #3 (Chapters 6, 7, & Production and Growth) (60 points) Name ___ Answer Key _______________________________________________________ GENERAL INSTRUCTION: Your assignment must be submitted as a Word document by 11:59 pm Friday, Mar. 29 (so that I can provide you with the answer key on Saturday, Mar. 30 before the deadline for exam 3). No late assignments are accepted. PART I. SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS INSTRUCTION: Read each question carefully and answer in the space provided. Please highlight your answers (or use a different color or font) and show all work where necessary. You will lose points if you do not show work where necessary. 1. What does a consumer price index (CPI) measure? How is CPI constructed? [2.5x2=5 pts] Answer: The consumer price index measures the overall cost of the goods and services bought by a typical consumer. It is constructed by surveying consumers to determine a basket of goods and services that the typical consumer buys. Prices of these goods and services are used to compute the cost of the basket at different times, and a base year is chosen. To compute the index, we divide the cost of the market basket in the current year by the cost of the market basket in the base year and multiply by 100. 2. The market basket of goods for a typical consumer includes 200 gallons of gas, 50 gallons of milk, and 40 loaves of bread. The base year is 2017. Table 6.1 [4+2=6 pts] Year Price of Gas Price of Milk Price of Bread 2016 $2.75 $2.50 $1.50 2017 $3.00 $2.50 $1.65 2018 $3.15 $2.75 $1.75 a). Calculate the CPI for 2017 and 2018. [2x2=4 pts] Answer : CPI 2017 = [(cost of the basket in 2017)/ (cost of the basket in base year)] x 100 = [[($3.00 x 200) + ($2.50 x 50) + ($1.65 x 40)] / [($3.00 x 200) + ($2.50 x 50) + ($1.65 x 40)]]. 100 = [(600 + 125 + 66) / (600 + 125 + 66)]. 100 = (791/ 791). 100 = 100 CPI 2018 = [(cost of the basket in 2018)/ (cost of the basket in base year)] x 100 = [[($3.15 x 200) + ($2.75 x 50) + ($1.75 x 40)]/ [791]]. 100 = [(630 + 137.5 + 70)/ 791]. 100 = (837.5/791). 100 =105.88 b). Calculate the inflation rate from 2017 to 2018. [2 pts] Answer: Inflation rate 2017-2018 = [(CPI 2018 – CPI 2017 )/ CPI 2017 ]. 100 = [(105.88 – 100)/ 100]. 100 = 5.88% 1
3. In 1948, the average price of a movie ticket was $0.36. The CPI in 1948 was 24.1, and the CPI today is 301.836. How does the price of a movie ticket in 1948 compare to the price of a movie ticket today? Explain and show your answer mathematically. [4+1=5 pts] Answer: Current dollar value of = $0.36 x (301.836/ 24.1) = $ 4.509 1948 movie ticket $0.36 in 1948 is equivalent to 4.509 today. The current average price of a movie ticket is about $12. Hence, comparing $ 4.509 to $12, we can conclude that movie tickets are more expensive today than in 1948. 4. Describe how the BLS determines whether an individual is “employed,” “unemployed,” or “not in the labor force.” [1.5x3=4.5 pts] Answer : The BLS takes the total population of the United States and subtracts all persons who are under 16 years of age, on active military duty, or institutionalized, and what is left is called the civilian noninstitutional population. The civilian noninstitutional population is divided into two groups: persons not in the labor force and persons in the labor force. Persons in the civilian labor force are either employed or unemployed. A person is counted as employed if he/she did any work for pay or profit during the survey reference week, or if he/she did at least 15 hours of unpaid work in a family-operated enterprise, or if he/she were temporarily absent from their regular jobs because of illness, vacation, bad weather, industrial dispute, or various other personal reasons. A person is counted as unemployed if he/she did not have jobs during the survey reference week but made specific active efforts to find a job during the prior 4 weeks and was available for work, or if he/she was not working, but was waiting to be called back to a job from which he/she had been temporarily laid off. A person is considered as not in the labor force if he/she is neither employed nor unemployed. 2
5. Define the following terms: [1x5=5 pts] a). Frictional unemployment : - occurs when individuals with transferable skills change jobs or enter the labor force. b). Structural unemployment - occurs when structural changes in the economy eliminate some jobs and create others for which the unemployed are unqualified. c). Natural unemployment rate: is the sum of frictional and structural unemployment. - is the normal rate of unemployment. d). Cyclical unemployment - is the difference between the existing unemployment rate and the natural unemployment rate. e). Discouraged Workers - former workers who are not actively looking for work and are not waiting to be called back to a job or to report for a job Table 6. 2 Period Civilian Non-institutional Population (millions) Civilian Labor Force (millions) Unemployed (millions) Year 1 5.50 4.20 0.32 Year 2 5.60 4.30 0.38 6. Use Table 6.2 to answer the following: [2.5x2=5 pts] a) In Year 2, how many people are employed? [2.5 pts] Answer : 4.30 million – 0.38 million = 3.92 million. b) Calculate the unemployment rate for Year 1. [2.5 pts] Answer : (unemployed workers / total labor force). 100 = (0.32/ 4.20). 100 = 7.62% 3
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