Tutorial 3 Suggested Solutions
Tutorial 3 Suggested Solutions
Tutorial 3 Suggested Solutions
1. The simple circular flow model shows that workers, entrepreneurs, and the owners of
land and capital offer their services through:
A. product markets
B. resource markets
C. employment agencies
D. business firms
• GDP (Y ) can be divided into four components: consumption (C ), investment (I ), government purchases
(G ), and net exports (NX ).
o consumption: spending by households on goods and services, with the exception of purchases
of new housing.
o investment: spending on business capital, residential capital, and inventories.
o government purchases: spending on goods and services by local, state, and federal
governments.
o net exports: spending on domestically produced goods by foreigners (exports) minus
spending on foreign goods by domestic residents (imports).
Nominal GDP measures the annual production of goods or services at the current
price. On the other hand, Real GDP measures the yearly production of goods or services
calculated at the actual cost without considering the effect of inflation. Hence, nominal
gross domestic product is regarded as a more apt measure of GDP.
3. How will Real and Nominal GDP differ from one another?
In inflationary periods1, Real GDP will be lower than nominal GDP. In deflationary times2, real GDP will be
higher. Take, for example, a hypothetical country that had a nominal GDP of $100 Billion in 2000, which
grew by 50% to $150 billion by 2020. Over the same period of time, inflation reduced the relative
purchasing power of the dollar by 50%. Looking at just the nominal GDP, the economy appears to be
performing very well, whereas the real GDP expressed in 2000 dollars would actually indicate a reading
of $75 billion, revealing in fact a net overall decline in economic growth had occurred. It is due to this
greater accuracy that real GDP is favored by economists as a method of measuring economic
performance.
4. What is the use of GDP Deflator?
GDP deflator is a measure of the price level calculated as the ratio of nominal GDP to
real GDP times 100.
Nominal GDP
GDP deflator = 100
Real GDP
1
Inflationary period is the Unevenly rising prices inevitably reduce the purchasing power of some consumers, and this erosion of real income
is the single biggest cost of inflation. Inflation can also distort purchasing power over time for recipients and payers of fixed interest rates.
2
Deflationary time is when the prices of goods and services decrease across the entire economy, increasing the purchasing power of
consumers. It is the opposite of inflation and can be considered bad for a nation as it can signal a downturn in an economy, leading to a recession
or depression.
Principles of Macroeconomics EC101
Lekima Nalaukai Semester 2, 2022
Tutorial 3 Suggested Solutions
C. Calculation
1. Suppose there are only three goods in the economy, as shown in the following table.
b. Calculate the real GDP in 2000 using 1999 prices and calculate the RGDP Growth.
Base yr: real GDP equals nominal GDP. Above example, 1999 is base year with real GDP for 1999
= $12 000
$ billions
Personal consumption expenditure 200
Personal Taxes 50
Exports 30
Depreciation 10
Government purchases 50
Gross private domestic investment 40
Imports 40
Government transfer payments 20
3. Using the above data, calculate the Gross Domestic Product for the economy using the:
A. Income approach (calculate both GDP at factor cost and GDP at market prices).
Income at Factor Cost: Compensation of employees + Gross Operating Surplus + Gross Mixed
Incomes: 24 100 + 15 000 + 3 450 = $42 550m
Income at Market Prices: Income at Factor Cost + (Indirect taxes – Subsidies)
42 550 + (6 350 – 950) = $47 950m
B. Expenditure approach
Y=C+I+G+X–M
30 200 + 9 200 + 2 500 + 10 100 + 5 300 + (17 800 – 20 700) = $54 400m
In practice, the two approaches may differ. Errors and data omissions may be the reason for these
differences. Also figures are based on estimates rather than direct measurement. A statistical
discrepancy figure accommodates for this by adding or subtracting to make the estimates equal.