Jaws – It’s an Eating Machine.

Who wants to swim at a beach with multiple recent shark attacks? In Jaws (1975), Mayor Vaughn knows that if word of the attacks gets out and the beaches shut down, it will cripple the local tourist economy of Amity Island. Tourists will choose other safer places to stay, and businesses will not want to invest in the area if it has become an undesirable vacation spot. If there is a shark terrorizing the local beaches, there is likely to be a decline in consumer and business confidence in the town causing the aggregate demand curve to decline.

Thanks to Amanda Mandzik for the clip submission & summary.

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The G Word with Adam Conover – Monetary Stimulus During Covid

Whenever a country enters a recession, there are two categories of responses available to policymakers: fiscal and monetary policy responses. Fiscal policy responses focus on taxation and spending while monetary policy responses refer to Central Bank activity. In the United States, monetary policy is administered by the Federal Reserve. The Fed is responsible for influencing the quantity of money and credit in the economy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve was responsible for issuing treasury bonds to finance fiscal policy decisions.

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The G Word with Adam Conover – Fiscal Stimulus During Covid

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns sent the US (and world) economies into an immediate recession. The US experienced record-high levels of unemployment and a massive reduction in GDP. To counteract this recession, the federal government enacted a series of expansionary fiscal policy recommendations that increased the aggregate demand curve to account for the previous reduction.

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Christmas Vacation: Expected Future Earnings

Clark is hoping to get a big Christmas bonus, but his boss sends him a gift for a jelly subscription instead. Consumption is one of the components of aggregate demand, and future income can influence present consumption. Clark was planning to spend this income on a new swimming pool for the family and already spent some money on the deposit for the pool assuming he would get this bonus. He even notes that there isn’t enough money in the bank account to cover the check he wrote. His current consumption was based on an expectation of future income.

Thanks to Mandy Mandzik for the clip recommendation. Check out her working paper, All I Want for Christmas is an A on My Econ Final: A Holiday-Themed Review Class, for more Christmas-themed economics examples.

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