The Basic Economic Problem

The Basic Economic Problem Introduction The basic economic problem is the scarcity of resources. People want more than can be met with their available resources. The human needs are unlimited because they grow and evolve while the means of fulfilling the needs (financial assets) are limited (Stiglitz 1992: 48). The effort to overcome the relative lack of goods, in other words to solve the economic problem is the basis of the economic activity of people. If the satisfaction of a need does not have a shortage of the appropriate resource, the action for the acquisition of this instrument is not classified as economic. The effort, for example, for inhalation of air lacks is not an economic action because the air is in abundance. The economic goods, of course, are not created on their own. It is the result of peoples effort that use whatever is available to them, to create resources that meet the needs i.e. the goods. The elements that are necessary for the creation of goods are called productive assets. Consequently, when it is said that economic goods are in relative scarcity or shortage, in fact it is meant that there is a scarcity of productive assets (nature, labor, capital). The problem of scarcity of resources has as a result the allocation of resources. In other words the process of the selection of needs to be met and the amount of resources used to meet them. Thus economics is a social science, which deals with how society allocates scarce resources among unlimited wants and needs (Wilson Clark 1999:21). The question that arises is how people allocate scarce resources to get the most value. Scarcity of production assets The scarcity of the asset nature is obvious that is due to the fact that land is limited in size and productive forces. The scarcity of the asset labor is due to the limited number of people able to work and to the fact that each person can only work a certain number of hours a day. The asset capital is the result of nature and labor and these are in scarcity, the chapter will also be in scarcity. The Basic Economic Problem and the Market Mechanism The above mentioned definition, contained in most introduction to economic theory manuals conceals through a non historical generalization the fact that the main body of economic science has dealt with the analysis of capitalist societies which are characterized, on the one hand, by the private ownership of the means of production and unequal power relations between wage labor and capital and on the other from freedom of entrepreneurial activity and the competition of capital assets in the market. According to the orthodox economic analysis, the scarcity (= failure, lack of) of resources in relation to social needs, forces each society to choose which products should be produced and in what quantities (Gough 1979:120). Moreover, the scarcity of resources means that the production of a particular product has costs in the form of other goods and services that could be produced in its place with the same resources spent for its production. For example, the working time and the machines that are used for car production cannot be used placed for the construction of schools. The cost of producing a product, defined as the equivalent of the cost of products that could be produced alternatively in its place, is called opportunity cost. Each product has an opportunity cost only when social resources are fully utilized. When there are idle production assets, that means productive resources are underemployed (unemployment or incomplete use of existing machines), then the production of a product has zero opportunity cost because it does not deprive already productive resources form the production of other products (Le Grand et al. 1992:75) The scarcity of resources and the opportunity cost impose the non-wasting of resources to maximize the product, consumption and hence social welfare. This is achieved on the one hand through the harmonization of the allocation of resources among productive uses of the social needs and preferences, and on the other through the savings of resources during the production of goods. So, the society avoids to produce useless products that nobody wants to consume or produce useful products but with more resources than those that it could use if it combined them better. The avoidance of the waste of the productive resources of society through a continuous effort of their saving and comprehensive utilization is related to the concept of economic efficiency. An economy is effective when it does not waste its limited resources by producing useless products when it maximizes the produced goods by ensuring their full use and their excellent combination. Because the capitalist system has as structural component unemployment and periodic phases of overproduction or underemployment of resources, it suffers from permanent economic inefficiency (Barr 1998:75). A social system to be cost effective is an important achievement, because it maximizes the production and consumption abilities of the society and hence social welfare. But a cost-effective social system is not necessarily fair, because social welfare can be unequally distributed among members of society. The wealth of some people can coexist with the poverty of others. The methods of analysis of the economists can be used to evaluate the different modes of economic organization in achieving both efficiency and equity, as well as to evaluate other objectives such as the promotion of consumer choices and social solidarity. Although, as mentioned above, the determination of social goals is the result of the ideological and political confrontation, economic argumentation can contribute significantly to the process of clarifying objectives and options. Generally in capitalist societies, it is possible to have a relation of reverse ratio between the objectives of economic efficiency and social justice. Thats because when the employees and other social classes and strata achieve redistribution of income to their benefit, then it is possible that the profit rate may fall, and as a consequence capital reduces the amount of investment and the rate of product slows down. So the efficiency of the economy may be reduced as a result of the redistribution of income, although the latter contributes to achieving social justice. In summary, it can be said that social welfare that is based on the satisfaction of social needs through consumption depends on : the harmonization of social preferences for product consumption with the allocation of social resources in their production, the effective use of resources in goods production the fair distribution of income and the fair distribution of wealth, which ensure that social welfare is distributed equitably among all members of society. The harmonization of social preferences for product consumption with the distribution of social resources for their production and the efficient use of resources in the production of goods, refer directly to the goal of economic efficiency whereas the equitable distribution of income and the equitable distribution of wealth refer to social justice. The two objectives may conflict in capitalist societies. Conclusion The economic problem is a permanent problem for human societies. In the immediate future there is neither a limitation of the needs nor a substantial increase in the resources to satisfy needs. On the contrary, indeed, as the pessimistic scholars support the economic problem will become more intense. This forecast is based on three elements: 1) the continuous increase in world population, 2) the depletion of energy sources and 3) the negative effects of the production of many products in the natural environment e.g. contamination of rivers, etc. But along with such bleak prospects there is the evolution of technology and the possibility to find new energy sources that tend to dampen the intensity of the economic problem. However, to the degree that developments can be predicted, the basic economic problem seems to be permanent.

Isabel allende :: essays research papers

About the Author It was fifteen years ago that, Isabel Allende took the literary world by storm with the publication of The House of the Spirits, a novel which chronicled four generations of a Chilean family against the backdrop of Chile's brutal history. The Times of London heralded Allende as having "the rare ability to blend fantasy and legend with political fact and a well-plotted narrative to produce an enchanted world unlike anything else in contemporary fiction." The New York Times called the book "a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present and future of Latin America." Allende followed her impressive debut with Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, The Stories of Eva Luna, and The Infinite Plan, all bestsellers around the world. Critical accolades have greeted the publication of each of Allende's books, which have commonly been cited for their compassion, imagination, humor and originality. The House of the Spirits was made into a feature film with an all-star cast headed by Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, and Glenn Close. Of Love and Shadows, starring Antonio Banderas, was released a year later. Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru, in 1942 and raised in Chile, Bolivia, Europe, and the Middle East, as her peripatetic family followed her stepfather's diplomatic career. She worked as a journalist in Chile until the 1973 military coup. Allende fled her homeland, settling in Venezuela with her husband, son and daughter. "I felt, as many Chileans did, that my life had been cut into pieces, and that I had to start over again," she recalls. Isolated from her family, and in particular from her beloved grandfather who was close to death, Allende began to write a long letter in which she reassured him that the would always be kept alive in her memories. That letter grew into The House of the Spirits. PAULA, Allende's first non-fiction book is a deeply moving memoir inspired by the tragic fatal illness of her 28 year-old daughter. It, too, began as a letter from mother to daughter that becomes a meditation on a mother's life and a daughter's death.

Essay --

Teresa Devlin 12 February 2014 PSY2012L The research article that I read was about the relationship between the use of technology in children and how their creativity level increases as a result of using different types of technological devices. This research was done by measuring the child’s level of creativity after using different types of electronic devices based on Torrance’s test of creative thinking, which is said by many researchers to be the best and most accurate way to measure creativity in children. The hypothesis of the study was that one of the four electronic devices would cause for a greater level of creativity. The four devices that were used in this study were computers, the Internet, video games, and cell phones. The researchers were very drawn to the fact that many children played video games and that video games are a part of many children’s every day activity. The study was conducted with almost five hundred 12 year-old children. The gender ratio was about half female and half ma le. The ratio of the racial backgrounds was about 70% Caucasian and 30% African American. The study was set up so the participants had two stimuli to respond to, which were pictures of an elf and an egg. The participants were to respond to the stimuli in the form of questions about what they thought of the pictures, to list what they thought was happening in the picture, and the possibilities of what they think might happen next in the picture. They were also asked what their favorite video game was. The independent variable, or the variable being changed, was the use of the four devices. The dependent variable, or the variable that is being measured, was the level of creativity after using the device. The research was conducted o... ...o become creative so you should go out and buy your child a video game if you want them to become more creative. That is why causal conclusions cannot be made in this correlational study. I think that another explanation of why children that play video games scored higher on the creative thinking tests is because video games open you into a new world. I think that they open your imagination and allow you to think like you never have before because of the things that video games portray such as outer space, different worlds, and things that are impossible for us humans to psychically do like turn into a fire-breathing dragon. I think that with children being able to open up their imagination it allows for a greater level of creativity. Works Cited Snider, Mike. "Research: Video Games Help with Creativity in Boys and Girls." USA Today 02 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Print

BSc Participant

These approaches can be implemented through the following methods, analytical, participatory, regulatory, protected area, systems approach, socio-cultural approaches and economic approaches. Command and control regulations- It's an approach where political authorities mandate people, by enacting a law, to bring about a behavior and use an enforcement machinery to get people to obey the law. It's an environmental management strategy where the government or responsible authorities sets standards to protect and manage the natural resources. This technique covers the regulatory and protected areas approaches.In Zombie the regulations involve the bylaws, legislative, reserved or protected areas and bio monitoring. The government of Zombie construct national parks like Generous National park, sanctuaries, Safari areas, recreational areas, botanical gardens/ reserves, state forests. The maintenance of biodiversity, natural resources and associated cultural resources. This approach worked we ll in Zombie as this was evidenced by the creation of many national and recreational parks thought it resulted in some negative impacts to the communities where these projects were done.Some of the problems were location of communities, poaching of the resources by the nearby communities for example the recent issue where 20 elephants were killed in Kari The approach of protected areas in town is appearing no to be considered when different developments are taking place in Zombie. A good example when the city council of Chitchatting gave residential stands on wetland areas of Zinged 4. Another good example it's the construction of the new shopping mall that is along Hare-Bylaws road, that place was reserved by the city fathers of Hare as a wetland.This shows that the approach of protected areas in towns is not considered. This evidences the conflicts between economic development and conservation of resources using this approach. Another challenge faced by Zombie from these protected areas is land, some of these areas require very large pieces of land, and for example the Generous National Park is approximately 5000 km, and this is a very large piece of land that can be used for other economic uses. But on the other hand these areas can serves as income generation to the country through CEO-tourism.Another approach involves the regulatory policies and pieces of legislation. On legislation arioso acts have been put in place to date for the management of natural resources in Zombie. Some of the acts and policies are Forest, Minerals, Wildlife, Environmental management Acts. Some of the Acts are; Native husbandry Act (1951), National Parks & Wildlife Act (1975), National Parks & Wildlife Amendment Act (1984), Communal Land Act (1982) and the Water Act (1976).Described below are some of the Acts; The Zombie Environmental Management Act (2004) provides for the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment; the prevention of pollution and environmental degradation. The Act also provides for the preparation of a National Environmental Plan and other plans for the protection of the environment. The implementing 134 agency of the Act is the Environmental Management Agency and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management. The primary strategy embodied in the Act is crystallization.The Environmental Management Act is now the supreme environmental Law in Zombie. Another act is the Forest Act of 1954, the management of woodland and forest products is embodied in the Forest Act and the Communal Land Forest Produce Act. The Forest Act (1954) provides for management of wood resources wrought Zombie although its focus is state forests and on private land. The main management strategy in both acts is to establish conditions under which forest produce can be used and to determine and regulate the extent of that use.Both Acts rely on the crystallization of activities in order to protect and regenerate forest produc e. The Forest Act creates forests officers who have general police powers of seizure and arrest. Designated officers or forest officers under the communal Land Forest Produce Act do not have power of arrest. These arrests may only be made by rest officers in Communal Areas where the charge is for an offense under the Forest Act (Camaraderie, 2000). Parks and wildlife Act (1975), the Act is administered exploitation of plants, trees and wildlife.Camaraderie (2000) argues that the Act seeks to protect indigenous plant life and prohibits its sale without a permit. However it allows pants to be harvested by the owner or occupier of land for use in the home of occupier. It further allows harvesting indigenous plants where the area is needed for cultivation and construction. All the regulatory legislation described above was enacted using the top- down approach. The masses were not consulted so as to incorporate their knowledge in the conservation of the resources hence the defilement.If participatory approaches had been used, indigenous knowledge could have been harnessed into the statutory acts. Although Acts mentioned above are vital to the country, they are failing to curb depletion of forest resources. Mismanagement of these forest resources is rife especially in most Communal Areas of Zombie regardless of the existence of the legal frameworks. One of the major causes of the misuse of forest products, especially trees, is arguably the fact that people are nearly ignoring traditional beliefs and indigenous knowledge systems in the sustainable management of natural resources.Economic Instruments approach- this is natural resources management strategy that uses the concepts of economics meaning it deals with the market. By dealing with the market it means it deals with the demand and supply. This approach uses economics to manage or regulate the environment by using supply and demand to minimize the impact of the human economy on ecosystems. This approach changes the behavior of resource users through subordination of natural resources in the form of tax incentive, user charges f the resource, soft credits that enables the good management of natural resources, pollution charges to the polluter of the environment.The method employs approaches like analytical and system approaches to achieve its natural resources management successfully. The method uses the â€Å"polluter -pays principle†. The economic instruments used by this approach involve taxes or charges that are paid by the producer or firms. Since the producer is being taxed this increases prices, which provides both opportunity and incentive for innovation; eventually the innovations are so successful that prices end up below what they were before the source shortages occurred Aeolian Simony's rule of Ultimate Resource).The success of this technique depends on market developments and market variations. In Zombie economic benefit was identified as a major driver for sustainable natural resources management. The approach involves use of economic benefits as incentives to drive sustainable management of natural resources. Participatory approach- this involves empowering local communities to take up guardianship and stewardship over natural resources. Communities derive economic benefit by using natural resources as alternative land use.The most common participator programmer one in Zombie is the Community based Natural Resources Management (CPRM). The CPRM is where existing natural resources within an area are managed as a commercial enterprise at community level in a sustainable and productive manner. It has ecological benefits, it also makes sound economic sense by maximizing on the resources that are available and reducing the reliance on external inputs. The programmer started late sass with CAMPFIRE programmer, initiated by Zimmermann Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management, the wildlife, to rural communities.Because of its successful inter nationally in enabling immunities to derive a sustainable livelihood from wildlife management, the programmer achieved a great deal in terms of setting a stage for CPRM in Zombie. The problem with the CPRM was not covering all the resources; it was mainly focused on wildlife management. This presents a greater challenge to other resources since many Zimmermann communal areas are largely devoid of Wildlife. However to a larger extent the programmer was effective on managing natural resources in Communal areas of Zombie.This is because the programmer sought to decentralized the management of natural resources to rural communities which ivies these communities sense of ownership over the resources thereby motivating citizens to participate on managing the resources in their community. Another example of the participatory approach done in Zombie was the SAFARI MIT programmer. The participatory approach has been found to be an effective means to manage natural resources since the communi ty its self is in charge of managing their available resources thereby creating the sense of ownership among them.This approach is believed to bring cost-savings over mandatory policies for regulators, while encouraging individuals and communities to take holistic strategies to improve ND manage their natural resources efficiently (Khan, 2001; Lyon & Maxwell, 2004). Another approach used in Zombie is the system approach which encompasses critical view of system earth and the ecosystems approach. Ecosystem approach maintains or restores the composition, structure and function of natural and modified ecosystems for the goal of long-term sustainability.This is an integrated approach made up of protected areas approach, CPRM and the Turnaround Natural Resource Management (TORN). TORN is a board that manages resources found on the boarders of Zombie and its neighboring countries. A good example where this board work effectively it's between the South African- Zombie boarders. The Turnaro und approach rises after a number of factors which includes, the need to better manage shared resources; the drive for economic growth through regional integration and development, the need to foster community participation, promote peace and security and embrace the forces of globalization.This was evidenced by the construction of the game park that stretches from Zombie to South Africa for the management of wildlife and other resources found between the boarders of these two countries. However, despite these envisaged benefits of Turnaround natural resource management (TABOR), there are numerous concerns arising from these initiatives ranging from community normalization, inter – community conflicts and inter – state inequity in the distribution of benefits.

Cesar Chavez A Great Leader Essay

Cesar Chavez, union leader and farm worker advocate, was born near Yuma Arizona on March 31, 1927. On March 23, 1993 this great man died in San Luis, Arizona. It is said that his hunger strike contributed to his death. Cesar’s commitment to farm workers was shaped by his own experience in the farm industry and his parent that taught him how imperative it was to help others. As a child, Cesar worked restlessly in his family’s farm. Later the family had to move to California because their farm was taken away for lack of money. They worked very hard in farms for very long hours and helped their coworkers there. A few years later Chavez volunteered to serve the US Navy. Cesar later came home to marry his girlfriend and transformed his life as a community leader and labor organizer. Chavez founded the United Farm Workers Association in 1950 after community service. Chavez engaged in nonviolent acts to bring attention to the farm workers. Others before him tried and tried to commit to the union but later gave up and turned to violent acts. He faced many challenges through the years. This however did not stop him. He was willing to give his own life so that the union could continue and that violence was not used. Cesar made the struggles of the farmers known to the country. The terrible sufferings of the farm workers and their children, the crushing of farm workers dignity, the dangers of pesticides, and the denial of election for the workers is what kept Chavez going. One of his first successes was getting grape workers to sign union contracts. Cesar went on marches, boycotts, pickets, and strikes. He sought to train others and send them to other cities so they could also use these same tactics. His peaceful strategies brought attention to numerous friends and supporters like Robert Kennedy and Jesse Jackson. This great man proved that with self-sacrifice and without violence one could get justice for the people. He was an efficient leader with determination and clear goals. He always let people know that it was for them â€Å"Si Se Puede† was his saying â€Å"It Can Be Done†. This humble man fought for what he believed for and till today his organization is abundantly thriving with freedom.

THE IMPACT OF PRINT MEDIA ON WOMEN'S EATING BEHAVIORS Essay

THE IMPACT OF PRINT MEDIA ON WOMEN'S EATING BEHAVIORS - Essay Example This paper examines the role of the print media to the formulation of particular women’s behaviors regarding the food consumption. Under this context, the women’s behavior on this particular issue is not analyzed in a one-factor basis but there has been an effort to refer to the particular elements of such a behavior to the level that the retrieval of data for their performance could be possible. The study begins with a general presentation of the phenomenon, the description of its elements, the possible reasons of its existence and an analysis of its definition in accordance with the issues related with it. On the other hand, the literature is presented in order to show the existed studies and the research that has been made so far regarding the issue under examination. At a next level, the problem is approached from a practical aspect through the presentation of a research method that could be helpful to the extraction of results regarding the current situation of the problem as it appears in society. In these terms, the data gathered using the proposed method, are analyzed in order to reveal the most important elements of the issue involved whereas a control of validity regarding any information offers a secure result (at least at the most possible level). The instruments that are going to be used for the realization of the above procedure are also presented in detail followed by a thorough examination of their suitability for the specific task. As a conclusion, the personal views on the problem are used in order to identify the interaction between the two major elements under examination (i.e. women and media) trying to highlight any important assumption that would possibly need further research. When examining the behavior of a person in the context of his/ her living environment, we have to consider all the parameters that can have an influence to his way of thinking and to his

AVIATION SAFETY MANAGEMENT Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

AVIATION SAFETY MANAGEMENT - Term Paper Example This rise in air traffic negatively affects the normal operations of the air traffic organizations. For instance, the air traffic congestion can significantly threaten the aircrafts safety which is the ultimate aim of the civil aviation authorities and airlines around the world. The safety of the aircraft is the primary concern for any airline and the civil aviation authority as it contains hundreds of passengers at a time. Upon accident, the aircraft will be destroyed however, with it hundreds of lives will also be lost. This aspect makes the air traffic flow a top priority and concern for the civil aviation authorities around the world. Though there are various independent factors that affect an aircraft resulting into the loss of lives. Prominent ones are: natural disasters or causes, technological fault developed in the aircraft, human error by pilot or the air traffic controller, human error by the engineering maintenance staff before giving the clearance for take-off, communication and related barriers that limit the understanding and comprehension of pilots and air traffic control officers, etc. Barnier and Brisset (2002) undertook a research to devise a strategy to increase the capacity of airspace apart from reducing the challenges that the Air Traffic Controllers have to face while handling unlimited number of flights landing and taking-off every minute. Furthermore, Barnier and Brisset (2002) focused on the dire need of the airlines to cut down their operational costs by receiving faster clearances to land or take-off which consumes their most of the flights time. They focused on the Air Traffic Flow Management (AFTM) technique to resolve this problem that the European Air Traffic Flow Management has to encounter every day. Since 1960, more than hundred aircrafts have met a fatal accident in the United States alone. There are various factors that were involved in these accidents. However, air traffic controllers play the most significant