E 303 Lect 7 S 06
E 303 Lect 7 S 06
E 303 Lect 7 S 06
Lecture 7
REVIEW___________________________________________________:
c. Incremental Decisions
In attempting to optimize, two rules:
- Attend to marginal benefits, attend to marginal benefits and marginal costs.
-Attend only to marginal benefits and marginal costs. (Ignore sunk costs)
Preview__________________________________________________________
II. Chapter Market Forces: Demand and Supply
A. Introduction and Overview.
1. Overview
2. The structure of the supply and demand model.
B. The Demand Side.
1. Motivation: Diminishing marginal utility:
2. Definition of Demand Curve
3. Determinants of Demand.
4. Changes in demand vs. changes in qty demanded.
LECTURE______________________________________________
A. Introduction and Overview.
1. Overview. The purpose of this chapter. Economics proceeds via models. A model is
an abstraction from reality, done for the purpose of explanation, or prediction. It is
important to emphasize that these models are necessarily unrealistic. A model that
captured all the complexity of reality wouldnt be useful at all. Rather the
oversimplification of a model is useful if it serves effectively an explanatory or predictive
function.
For example, the first model presented in this class was the present value characterization
of the firm, introduced in chapter 1. This model, of course misses many elements,
including the uncertainty of returns over time, as well as the possibility that interest rates
may change. Nevertheless, it is useful in that it provides some insight into the issues
relevant to considering the inter-temporal value of a firm.
This chapter presents a second model, the theory of price and quantity
determination. This model should be a review for most of you. Nevertheless, it is of
prominent importance. The purpose of this model is both explanatory and predictive. It
is the primary tool that you can use to infer the effects of market impacts on prices and
outputs. You are expected to master the mechanics of this model.
A second function of this review is to present this model in simple algebraic
terms. This presentation should help acclimatize you to the type of analysis we will do
in this course.