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Why do people make economic choices?

Question

Why do people make economic choices?

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Solution

People make economic choices due to the fundamental principle of scarcity. Here are the steps explaining why:

  1. Scarcity: Resources in the world are limited. This includes money, time, labor, tools, land, and raw materials. In contrast, human wants and needs are virtually unlimited. This imbalance creates scarcity.

  2. Choices: Because of scarcity, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others.

  3. Trade-offs: Every choice involves trade-offs. For example, if you spend an hour studying for an economics exam, you have one less hour to pursue other activities. To get the most benefit from an hour of studying, you would want to choose an activity that you value less than the potential benefit you expect to receive from doing well on the economics exam.

  4. Opportunity Cost: Economists use the term opportunity cost to indicate what must be given up to obtain something that's desired. In our example, the opportunity cost of studying for the economics exam is the value of the best alternative use of that hour.

  5. Rational Decision Making: People make economic choices with the goal of maximizing their satisfaction. They will choose an option only if they expect it to bring the greatest possible satisfaction.

  6. Marginal Analysis: People make economic decisions at the margin, meaning they decide whether to do a little more or a little less of something. The decision to study an extra hour for an exam, for example, depends on whether the benefit of a potentially higher grade outweighs the cost of one less hour of leisure.

In conclusion, people make economic choices because resources are scarce and they want to maximize their satisfaction. They weigh the trade-offs and opportunity costs of each decision to make the choice they believe will give them the greatest benefit.

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Why we study economics

Economists regard decision making as important because:

10.The economic perspective entails (1 Point)irrational behavior by individuals and institutions.a comparison of marginal benefits and marginal costs in decision making.short-term but not long-term thinking.rejection of the scientific method.11.Purposeful behavior suggests that (1 Point)everyone will make identical choices.resource availability exceeds economic wants.individuals may make different choices because of different desired outcomes.an individual's economic goals cannot involve trade-offs.12.Economics involves marginal analysis because (1 Point)most decisions involve changes from the present situation.marginal benefits always exceed marginal costs.marginal costs always exceed marginal benefits.much economic behavior is irrational.13.You should decide to go to a movie(1 Point)if the marginal cost of the movie exceeds its marginal benefit.if the marginal benefit of the movie exceeds its marginal cost.if your income will allow you to buy a ticket.because movies are enjoyable.14.You should decide to go to a movie (1 Point)if your income will allow you to buy a ticket.if the marginal cost of the movie exceeds its marginal benefit.because movies are enjoyable.if the marginal benefit of the movie exceeds its marginal cost.15.Opportunity costs exist because (1 Point)the decision to engage in one activity means forgoing some other activity.wants are scarce relative to resources.households and businesses make rational decisions.most decisions do not involve sacrifices or trade-offs.16.The assertion that "there is no free lunch" means that (1 Point)there are always trade-offs between economic goals.all production involves the use of scarce resources and thus the sacrifice of alternative goods.marginal analysis is used in economic reasoning.choices need not be made if behavior is rational.17.Consumers spend their incomes to get the maximum benefit or satisfaction from the goods and services they purchase. This is a reflection of (1 Point)resource scarcity and the necessity of choice.purposeful behavior.marginal costs that exceed marginal benefits.the trade-off problem that exists between competing goals.18.If a firm produces too little of a particular good, this would suggest that (1 Point)rational choice cannot be applied to many economic decisions.the good is being produced at a point where marginal costs exceed marginal benefits.government should intervene to produce more of the good.the good is being produced at a point where marginal benefit exceeds marginal cost.19.In deciding whether to study for an economics quiz or go to a concert, one is confronted by the idea(s) of (1 Point)scarcity and opportunity costs.money and real capital.complementary economic goals.full production.20.Which one of the following expressions best states the idea of opportunity cost? (1 Point)"A penny saved is a penny earned.""He who hesitates is lost.""There is no such thing as a free lunch.""All that glitters is not gold."

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