Detailed Summary
Chapter 4 discusses the determination of national income and employment, emphasizing the need to develop theoretical models to explain economic variables such as growth rates, price levels, and unemployment. The process begins with the assumption of 'ceteris paribus', focusing specifically on national income under fixed prices and constant interest rates, framed within Keynesian economics.
Aggregate Demand
The aggregate demand comprises consumption and investment. Ex ante (planned) and ex post (actual) measures of consumption and investment illustrate the difference between intentions and outcomes in economic behavior. Planned consumption significantly depends on household income and can be represented through the consumption function, where:
C = C + cY
Here, C
signifies autonomous consumption, and cY
denotes induced consumption, dependent on income. The marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is defined as the change in consumption for a change in income, capturing its behavioral aspect.
Investment
Investment is characterized as an addition to physical capital and inventory, also an autonomous parameter in our discussion. It primarily influences national income alongside consumption. Aggregate demand is thus represented as:
AD = C + I
Equilibrium in the economy occurs when aggregate demand equals aggregate supply. The model adopts a simplistic view that holds prices constant to analyze short-run income determination.
The Multiplier Effect
The section also introduces the multiplier effect, illustrating how autonomous changes in spending can lead to larger changes in income due to successive rounds of spending in the economy. This is contextualized through the Paradox of Thrift, explicating that higher saving rates can paradoxically reduce total savings.
Ultimately, the equilibrium level of output may deviate from the full employment level, leading to concepts of deficient demand and excess demand, which impact price levels over time.