Category: Economics: Ch 17

Posted on

Lessons from the Great Depression

The prospect of a severe recession in America has inevitably drawn parallels in the media with the Great Depression of 1929. The parallel may not be entirely appropriate in terms of scale and severity, but what lessons are there that can be learnt from the Great Depression?

Credit crunch: risk-taking Times Online (23/3/08)
America gets depressed by thoughts of 1929 revisited Times Online (23/3/08)
Lessons learnt from Great Depression Times Online (25/3/08)

Questions

1. Explain the principal causes of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
2. Assess the parallels between the current economic situation in America and the situation preceding the Great Depression in 1929.
3. Discuss the extent to which the recent loosening of monetary and fiscal policy in America will help reduce the likelihood of recession.
Posted on

China jumps on the fiscal and monetary brakes

Rapid economic growth in China has pushed inflation to an 11-year high of 8.7% in February 2008. This was driven significantly by higher food prices, with the price of pork rising by nearly 64%. This higher level of inflation has led to concerns that policy may need to be tightened.

Sweet and sour pork The Economist (13/3/08)
China inflation hits fresh high BBC News Online (11/3/08)
Chinese inflation alarms authorities Guardian (11/3/08)
Chinese warn on decade-high inflation Times Online (5/3/08)
Chinese inflation shoots to 11-year high Times Online (11/3/07)
China tries to apply brakes to economy Guardian (4/3/08)

Questions

1. What are the main causes of rising inflation in China?
2. Assess the extent to which policy needs to be tightened to counter the rising level of inflation in China. What would be the possible downsides of such a policy?
3. Discuss possible policy changes that could be implemented by the Chinese government to reduce the level of inflation.
Posted on

Are we heading for a perfect economic storm?

Concerns have been growing that the UK faces a downturn in economic growth during 2008. The articles below consider this possibility. With a credit crunch taking place and manufacturing output falling, the concerns for a recession may well not prove unfounded.

Is this the big one? Guardian (3/1/08)
Your survival plan if a recession strikes Times Online (5/1/08)
Top of the flops – 10 pointers to a downturn in 2008 Guardian (6/1/08)
Recession fears as manufacturing drops Times Online (11/1/08)
Crash that ‘won’t happen here’ looms large Guardian (3/12/07)

Questions

1. What are the key indicators of an impending recession?
2. Assess the likelihood of a recession in the UK in 2008.
3. What policies could the UK government adopt to avoid a recession during 2008. What would determine the success of such policies?
Posted on

Is the UK economy going off the rails?

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, has signalled that the next year may be the toughest for 15 years with lower economic growth than previously forecast. So, is the UK economy going off the rails?

Questions

1. Explain the main reasons why the Governor of the Bank of England expects a worse than forecast level of economic growth in 2008.
2. Discuss the extent to which a cut in interest rates will help prevent an economic slowdown. What adverse effects could follow from such a policy.
3. Discuss one other policy that the government could adopt to try to reduce the extent of the forecast slowdown in economic growth.