0% found this document useful (0 votes)
22 views2 pages

Aggregate Demand in Closed Economy

Uploaded by

Tilahun Wami
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
22 views2 pages

Aggregate Demand in Closed Economy

Uploaded by

Tilahun Wami
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CHAPTER THREE

AGGREGATE DEMAND IN THE CLOSED ECONOMY

Foundations of the Theory of Aggregate Demand

1Classical theory seemed incapable of explaining the Depression. According to that theory, national
income depends on factor supplies and the available technology, neither of which changed substantially
from 1929 to 1933. After the onset of the Depression, many economists believed that a new model was
needed to explain such a large and sudden economic downturn and to suggest government policies that
might reduce the economic hardship so many people [Link] 1936 the British economist John Maynard
Keynes revolutionized economics with his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and
Money. Keynes proposed a new way to analyze the economy, which he presented as an alternative to
classical theory. His vision of how the economy works quickly became a center of controversy. Yet, as
economists debated The General Theory, a new understanding of economic fluctuations gradually
developed.

Keynes proposed that low aggregate demand is responsible for the low income and high

unemployment that characterize economic downturns. He criticized classical theory for assuming that
aggregate supply alone—capital, labor, and technology—determines national income.

Economists today reconcile these two views with the model of aggregate demand and aggregate supply.
In the long run, prices are flexible, and aggregate supply determines income. But in the short run,
prices are sticky, so changes in aggregate demand influence income.

The model of aggregate demand developed in this chapter, called the IS–LM model, the leading
interpretation of Keynes’s theory. The goal of the model is to show what determines national income for
any given price level. There are two ways to view this. We model can view the IS– LM model as showing
what causes income to change in the short run when the price level is fixed. Or we can view the model
as showing what causes the aggregate demand curve to shift. The two 1parts of the IS–LM model are,
not surprisingly, the IS curve and the LM curve. IS stands for “investment’’ and “saving,’’ and the IS
curve represents what’s going on in the market for goods and services. LM stands for “liquidity’’ and
“money,’’ and the LM curve represents what is happening to the supply and demand for money.

1The Goods Market and the IS Curve


The IS curve plots the relationship between the interest rate and the level of income that arises in the
market for goods and services. To develop this relationship, we start with a basic model called the
Keynesian cross. This model is the simplest interpretation of Keynes’s theory of national income and
is a building block for the more complex and realistic IS–LM model.

(A) The Keynesian Cross

In his General Theory, Keynes proposed that an economy’s total income was, in the short run,
determined largely by the desire to spend by households, firms, and the government. The more
people want to spend, the more goods and services firms can sell. The more firms can sell, the more
output they will choose to produce and the more workers they will choose to hire. Thus, the problem
during recessions and depressions, according to Keynes, was inadequate spending. The Keynesian cross
is an attempt to model this insight.2

Keynesian cross by differentiating between actual and planned expenditure.

Actual expenditure is the amount households, firms, and the government spend on goods and services
and it equals the economy’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Planned expenditure is the amount households, firms, and the government would like to spend on
goods and services.2

Assuming the economy is closed, so that net exports are zero, we write planned expenditure AD as the
sum of consumption(C), investment (I) and government purchase (G)2

Common questions

Powered by AI

The Keynesian cross is considered a building block for the IS-LM model because it provides a fundamental framework for understanding how equilibrium in the goods market is determined by aggregate demand, which is central to Keynesian thought. It illustrates the core concept of how planned and actual expenditures interact to determine output and income levels, serving as a basis for further analysis in the IS-LM model .

Keynes proposed addressing unemployment and low national income during recessions by recognizing and responding to inadequate aggregate demand. He suggested that increasing the desire to spend by households, firms, and the government—as reflected in planned expenditure—could raise national income and reduce unemployment by boosting sales and production .

The IS curve in the IS-LM model depicts the relationship between the interest rate and the level of income that arises in the market for goods and services. It shows how different levels of interest rates affect the equilibrium level of income where planned and actual expenditures are equal, as elaborated through the Keynesian cross model .

The IS-LM model consists of two components: the IS curve and the LM curve. The IS curve stands for 'investment' and 'saving,' representing the market for goods and services. The LM curve stands for 'liquidity' and 'money,' representing the supply and demand for money .

In the Keynesian model, government spending plays a crucial role in determining national income, especially during economic recessions. Keynes emphasized that increased government spending could offset inadequate private sector demand, thereby raising aggregate demand, national income, and employment when private sector spending falters .

The IS-LM model reconciles classical and Keynesian economic theories by integrating their perspectives on income determination. In the long run, it agrees with classical theory that flexible prices allow aggregate supply to determine income. In the short run, however, it aligns with Keynesian beliefs that prices are sticky, so changes in aggregate demand, rather than supply factors, determine income. This duality helps address the different aspects highlighted by both theories .

The Keynesian insight suggests that national income and employment levels are closely tied to the aggregate desire to spend by households, firms, and the government. During economic downturns, inadequate spending desires lead to lesser sales, reduced output, and lower hiring, contributing to unemployment. Therefore, if the economy experiences these conditions, stimulating spending can increase output and employment, stabilizing the cycle .

Keynes critiqued classical economic theory by arguing that it failed to explain national income during economic downturns because it focused solely on aggregate supply—capital, labor, and technology—as the determinants of income, neglecting the role of aggregate demand. Keynes believed that low aggregate demand was responsible for low income and high unemployment during downturns, as opposed to classical theory's emphasis on supply factors .

The Keynesian cross model distinguishes between actual and planned expenditure to understand economic fluctuations. Actual expenditure is the total spending on goods and services, representing the economy's GDP. Planned expenditure is the desired level of spending by households, firms, and the government. Discrepancies between these can indicate economic imbalances, such as insufficient aggregate demand during recessions, leading to output and employment changes .

Classical economic theory was considered insufficient in explaining the Depression because it maintained that national income was dependent on factor supplies and technology, which did not change significantly from 1929 to 1933. It could not account for the great downturn since those factors remained stable. Keynes argued for a new model emphasizing aggregate demand, which classical theory overlooked, to explain the sudden economic challenges .

You might also like