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Economics 4.1.9
Economics- Edexcel 4.1.9
Term | Definition |
---|---|
external competitiveness | sustained ability of a country’s businesses to sell goods and services profitably at competitive prices in overseas markets |
core measure of competitiveness is | a nation’s relative unit labour costs expressed in a common currency |
price competitiveness measured in | differences in relative unit labour costs |
key aspects of price competitiveness | product quality, innovation, design, reliability, performance, choice,after-sales services, marketing, branding, brand loyalty, availability and cost of replacement parts |
non-wage cost factors for businesses operating in international markets include | enviro taxes, employment protection laws & costs of meeting health and safety regulations, statutory requirements for employer pensions, employment taxes |
unit labour costs definition | labour costs per unit of output |
unit labour costs formula | total labour costs / total output |
unit labour costs are determined mainly by | average wages or salaries or labour productivity |
how to lower relative unit labour costs | monetary policy interventions aimed at a currency depreciation/wage controls/supply-side measures designed to raise labour productivity |
relative labour costs are raised by | appreciating a country’s exchange rate/wage costs rise relatively faster than other nations/slower labour productivity growth |
relative export prices rise when | appreciation of currency/period of high relative inflation/export businesses experience higher costs/exporters of goods and services are hit by import tariffs |
indicators of global competitiveness | effectiveness of institutions, quality of infrastructure, macroeconomic performance, health & primary education, higher education & training, efficiency of goods & labour markets, technological readiness, sophistication of business, innovation |
policies to improve competitiveness | competitive exchange rate, tax environment/investment in human capital/increased research & development/stronger market competition/stable macroeconomic environment/investment in critical infrastructure |
fiscal policies | subsidies/tax incentives/lower employment taxes/lower capital gains taxes/special economic zones/free ports |
SEZ | special economic zones |
micro foundations of competitiveness | competitive markets & innovative businesses, skills, aptitudes and attitudes within a diverse workforce, expanding opportunities for female entrepreneurs/refugees |
competitive advantage comes form having | globally scaled businesses close to or at the technological frontier, culture of innovative business start-ups or social entrepreneurs, financial system that can provide appropriate and affordable credit |
races to the bottom | a competitive situation where a company, state, or nation attempts to undercut the competition's prices by sacrificing quality standards or worker safety (often defying regulation), or reducing labor costs |
internal devaluation | when a country seeks to improve price competitiveness through lowering wage costs and increasing productivity and not reducing the external value of their exchange rate |
what does an internal devaluation require? | many years of low relative inflation |
what can bring about internal devaluation? | fiscal austerity |
what kind of country is internal devaluation more likely to happen in? | one with a fixed exchange rate |
external devaluation | when a country operating with a fixed or semi-fixed exchange rate system decides to deliberately lower the external value of their currency against one or a range of other currencies |
devaluation of the currency | a domestic currency buys less of a foreign currencies |
aim of external devaluation | to make exports more price competitive, reduce size of trade deficit, cut real value of sovereign |
risks from an internal devaluation | severe loss of output and rising unemployment, fall in nominal wages reduces living standards, risks from sustained price deflation, real value of debt increases, danger of a country suffering a permanent loss of output(hysteresis) |
hysteresis | an event in the economy that persists into the future, even after the factors that led to that event have been removed |
drawbacks from an external currency devaluation | cost-push inflation from higher import prices, reduce real incomes due to inflation, no guarantee that trade deficit improves, foreign creditors demand higher interest rates on new issues of government & corporate debt, less attractive to inward FDI |
benefits of international competitiveness | improved living standards/stronger trade performance from an increase in export sales/virtuous circle of economic growth/employment creation/higher government tax revenues as incomes and profits increase |
drawbacks of international competitiveness | trade surpluses invite a protectionist response/demand-pull inflation/growing inequality of income and wealth/exchange rate to appreciate |