- •Белорусский государственный университет
- •Предисловие
- •1. Profession of an economist
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •1. K p. A. – one thousand per annum.
- •Ex. 3. Express in one word.
- •Comprehension
- •Degrees in Economics
- •Basic Courses
- •Supporting Courses
- •Required Courses Year 1
- •Questions
- •Outstanding Economists
- •The Founder of Economics
- •David Ricardo (1772–1823)
- •John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)
- •Writing
- •Study the biographical data of Michael Del and Ingvar Kamprad, find the information about famous businessmen and write it down as in the examples that follows the tables.
- •Michael Dell
- •Timeline
- •Ingvar Kamprad Timeline
- •Example
- •Translation a. Translate into Russian. Woman’s Place in Management
- •B. Translate into English.
- •Listening
- •Speaking
- •Vocabulary academic adj – 1. Университетский; академический; учебный; 2. Чисто теоретический; 3. Фундаментальный (в противоположность прикладному)
- •Salary n – жалованье, оклад self-employed adj – обслуживающий свое собственное предприятие; работающий не по найму
- •2. Economics as a science
- •2.1. Economics and Economic Methods
- •Economics: the Study of Scarcity and Choice
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Opportunity Cost
- •Satisfying People’s Wants
- •Methodology
- •Economic Theory and Models
- •Speaking Discuss the following questions.
- •Vocabulary
- •Economic systems
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Translation a. Translate the text from English into Russian. Classification of Countries
- •Vocabulary
- •3. The macroeconomy
- •3.1. Gross domestic product
- •Gross Domestic Product
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Questions
- •Writing
- •Speaking
- •Vocabulary
- •3.2. InflAtion
- •Meaning and Measurement of Inflation
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Demand-Pull and Cost-Push Inflation
- •Does it Cost More to Laugh?
- •Writing
- •Consumer Price Index Criticism
- •Vocabulary
- •3.3. Economic business cycles and unemployment
- •Economic Business Cycles
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •Unemployment
- •Types of Unemployment
- •W.H. Philips and the Philips Curve
- •Vocabulary
- •3.4. Banking discovering connections
- •Reading
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •Commercial Banks of Britain
- •Banking in the usa
- •Banking and Monetary System of the Republic of Belarus
- •The Paris Club
- •Listening Student Banking
- •Student Banking
- •Application for Credit
- •Vocabulary
- •3.5. Money and monetary policy
- •Reading
- •Money and its Functions
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •Classical Economics
- •Keynesian Economics
- •Monetarism
- •Instruments of Monetary Policy
- •Monetary Policy during the Great Depression
- •Listening Central Banking
- •Talking with Paul Volker
- •Vocabulary
- •Glossary
- •3.6. Fiscal policy
- •Fiscal Policy
- •Discretionary fiscal policy
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Other Issues in Fiscal Policy
- •The Role of Government
- •Writing
- •Transition and the Changing Role of Government
- •Budgets and Fiscal Policy
- •Briefing on Personal Taxation
- •Vocabulary
- •4. The microeconomy
- •4.1. Supply and demand
- •Supply and Demand
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Equilibrium: Mr.Demand, Meet Mr.Supply
- •Equilibrium
- •Elasticity
- •Ex. 2. Answer the questions on the text.
- •Negotiating on the Phone
- •North Holland Dairy Cooperative, Volendam, Postbus 4550nl-4452
- •Jan van Geelen
- •Vocabulary
- •4.2. Market structure
- •Monopoly
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •Three Pricing Strategies
- •Market Leaders, Challengers and Followers
- •Vocabulary
- •5. The global economy
- •5.1. International trade
- •International Trade
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •The Arguments for and against Free Trade
- •The Banana Wars
- •The Legacy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo
- •Listening
- •Vocabulary
- •5.2. Global market and developing nations discovering connections
- •The World’s Economies
- •Industrialized nations: Growing and Growing Old
- •Newly Industrialized Nations: Getting Going
- •Developing Nations
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •To develop, development, developed, developing
- •Comprehension
- •Economic Cooperation
- •Case study
- •B. Scanning for Information
- •Airbus Industrie
- •The Boeing Company
- •C. Interpreting Information
- •Multinational Corporations and Globalization: the Pros and Cons
- •Translation
- •Vocabulary
- •6. Business administration
- •6.1. Company structure discovering connections
- •Reading
- •Forms of Business Organization
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •Flotation
- •Describing Company Structure
- •Is made up of is diveded into
- •Listening
- •Interview with Willhite
- •Vocabulary
- •6.2. Management
- •Nature of Management
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •A. Introduction to the problem
- •B. Scanning for Information
- •Beginning the Business
- •Text b Business Principle: Supermarket Shopping Should Be Fun To Stew Leonard, the distinction between a supermarket and an amusement park is slight, and not necessarily useful.
- •Business Principle: Listen to the Customer
- •Stew Leonard’s Fact Sheet
- •Look at the Stew Leonard's Approach to Supermarket Sales. What do you think about his ideas of running the business. Stew Leonard's Approach to Supermarket Sales
- •Principles of Management
- •What Makes a Good Manager?
- •Семь заповедей бизнесмена
- •Vocabulary
- •Glossary
- •6.3. Accounting
- •What is Accounting?
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Accounting and Financial Statements
- •The Accounting Profession
- •Business Documents
- •The Balance Sheet
- •Income Statement
- •Bookkeeping
- •Role Play
- •Project X
- •Vocabulary
- •6.4. Marketing
- •Concept of Marketing
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Building a Brand
- •The brand name
- •B. Scanning for Information
- •The Creation of Levi Jeans
- •Other Levi Strauss Products
- •Text c Why New Products Are Needed
- •Levi Strauss & Co. Product History
- •C. Discussion
- •Writing
- •Marketing Information System
- •You are discussing a new product with your marketing manager. You may use the dialogue below as a model.
- •Vocabulary
- •6.5. Advertising
- •Advertising
- •Vocabulary Focus
- •Comprehension
- •How Companies Advertise
- •Ad advertising campaign advertising standards advertisement advertising budget advertising agencies print
- •Designing an Advertising Campaign Putting the Problem in Perspective: Applying Business Concepts
- •E. Fieldwork
- •Every Day ups Are Trusted To Reliable Deliver 12 Million Shipments Worldwide
- •Vocabulary
- •Glossary
- •Список использованной литературы
- •Contents
Fiscal Policy
Policy aimed at changing the level of either government spending or taxes to stimulate or slow down the economy is known as fiscal policy. It was invented by the British economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s. Keynes believed that increased demand for goods and services should be met by expanded production. However, after a nation's economy reaches full capacity, production cannot expand. If the demand for goods and services increases, prices continue to rise and inflation occurs. In such cases, Keynes recommended a tax increase, which would reduce the demand for goods and services and relieve the pressure on prices.
Keynes maintained that governments should use fiscal policy (tax and spending programs) to stabilize the economy. He said the overall level of economic activity depends on effective demand – that is, total spending by individuals, businesses, and government.
According to Keynes, major depressions, such as the Great Depression of the 1930's, occur as a result of a drop in effective demand. He argued that in periods of depression the government should increase its spending, cut taxes, or do both to stimulate the economy. These steps would result in a government budget deficit (shortage). But Keynes said the actions could lead to higher levels of investment and nongovernment spending and to full employment.
To understand how fiscal policy works, we need to understand three basic concepts. First, the deficit. When government spending is greater than tax revenue, we have a federal budget deficit. The government is paying out more than it's taking in. How does it make up the difference? It borrows. Deficits have been much more common than surpluses. This is not to say that deficits are always bad. Indeed, during recessions, they are just what the economic doctor ordered.
Second, budget surpluses are the exact opposite of deficits. They are prescribed to fight inflation. When the budget is in a surplus position, tax revenue is greater than government spending.
Finally, we have a balanced budget when government expenditures are equal to tax revenue.
Thus, fiscal policy is the manipulation of the government budget deficit or surplus to influence the level of aggregate income (or GDP) in the economy. If aggregate income is too low (actual income is below target income), the appropriate fiscal policy is expansionary fiscal policy: increase the deficit, or reduce a surplus, which means the government spends more or takes in less. If aggregate income is too high (actual income is above target income), the appropriate fiscal policy is contractionary fiscal policy: reduce the deficit, or increase a surplus, which means the government takes in more in taxes or spends less.
Expansionary and contractionary fiscal policies are two basic types of discretionary fiscal policy.
Exhibit 1 lists these types of fiscal policy and the corresponding ways in which the government can pursue each of these options.
Exhibit 1
Discretionary fiscal policy
Expansionary fiscal policy |
Contractionary fiscal policy |
Increase government spending |
Decrease government spending |
Decrease taxes |
Increase taxes |
Increase government spending and taxes equally |
Decrease government spending and taxes equally |
The fundamental purpose of fiscal policy is to eliminate unemployment or inflation. When recession exists, an expansionary fiscal policy is in order. This entails increased government spending or lower taxes, or a combination of the two. In other words, if the budget is balanced at the outset, fiscal policy should move in the direction of a government budget deficit during a recession or depression.
Conversely when demand-pull inflation stalks the land, a restrictive or contractionary fiscal policy is appropriate. A contractionary policy is composed of decreased government spending, or higher taxes, or a combination of these two policies. Fiscal policy should move toward a surplus in the government’s budget when the economy is faced with the problem of controlling inflation.