Answer: Economists assume that people act rationally, making choices in increments and comparing marginal costs and benefits. Costs are measured as opportunity cost, which is the value of the best thing that must be given up. Benefits are subjective, measured by what you are willing to give up. Marginal cost is the additional cost of one more unit of the good and marginal benefit is the additional benefit of one more unit. Marginal cost increases and marginal benefit decreases as more of the activity is considered. A rational decision compares the marginal benefit of the decision to its marginal cost. If the marginal benefit exceeds the marginal cost, the (rational) decision is to undertake the action being contemplated. If the marginal benefit is less than the marginal cost, the (rational) decision is to not undertake the action being considered.
Topic: Making rational choices
Skill: Level 2: Using definitions
Section: Checkpoint 1.2
Status: Old
AACSB: Written and oral communication
12) What is a positive statement? Give an example.
Answer: A positive statement addresses "what is" and can be tested. An example of a positive statement is "An increase in the price of gasoline decreases the quantity of gasoline demanded."
Topic: Positive statements
Skill: Level 1: Definition
Section: Checkpoint 1.2
Status: Old
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13) What is the difference between positive and normative statements?
Answer: Positive statements tell what is and normative statements tell what ought to be. Positive statements can be tested to determine if they are correct or not, while normative statements use value judgments and so cannot be tested. For example, two economists might agree on the positive assertion that if the government spent its funds purchasing pharmaceutical drugs for poor older Americans rather than poor children, then poor older Americans would use more drugs and poor children would use fewer. But they might disagree on the normative conclusion of whether the government should pursue this policy. One economist might argue "It is not fair to have senior citizens suffer because they cannot afford medicine" and the other economist might argue "It is not fair to have children suffer because their parents cannot afford medicine."
Topic: Positive and normative statements
Skill: Level 2: Using definitions
Section: Checkpoint 1.2
Status: Old
AACSB: Written and oral communication
14) Two economists can agree that raising the minimum wage creates unemployment yet one might argue that raising the minimum wage is a good policy and the other that it is a bad policy. Why can this difference exist? Be sure to use the terms positive and normative in your answer.
Answer: Positive statements are statements that describe how the world is. Positive statements can be tested and so, ultimately, any disagreements about positive statements should be resolved. The statement that "Raising the minimum wage creates unemployment" is a positive statement and, on the basis of repeated testing, most economists agree that it is a correct positive statement. Normative statements, however, are statements that describe how the world ought to be. Normative statements depend on people's values and cannot be tested. So one economist might argue that raising the minimum wage is a good policy because this economist thinks that, although it is unfortunate that some people lose their jobs, the fact that others retain their jobs and their wages rise more than outweighs the harm created by the unemployment. Another economist might strongly differ because the second economist thinks that the harm inflicted on people who lose their jobs more than outweighs any good from some workers being paid more. This difference of opinion can last indefinitely because there is no way to test the two economists' beliefs to determine which is correct.
Topic: Positive and normative statements
Skill: Level 2: Using definitions
Section: Checkpoint 1.2
Status: Old
AACSB: Written and oral communication
15) Explain whether the statement, "There is life on Mars," is a normative or positive statement.
Answer: The statement is a positive statement because it does not depend on a value judgment. Instead, it is a statement that tries to describe "what is" and hence is testable. Of course, in order to test the assertion, it would be necessary to go to Mars to ascertain if there is life present. While it is difficult (!) at present to actually carry out the test, nonetheless the statement is testable and hence is a positive statement.
Topic: Positive statements
Skill: Level 2: Using definitions