Skip to main content

Fiscal policy affects which two parts of aggregate demand directly?

Aggregate demand, as you can see in the link below, is made up of four components.  These components are consumer spending, government purchases, investment, and net exports.  Fiscal policy is made up of two components.  These are government spending and taxes.  I would argue that only one of the components of aggregate demand (government purchases) is directly affected by fiscal policy.  If, however, we have to identify one other component, I would say that it...

Aggregate demand, as you can see in the link below, is made up of four components.  These components are consumer spending, government purchases, investment, and net exports.  Fiscal policy is made up of two components.  These are government spending and taxes.  I would argue that only one of the components of aggregate demand (government purchases) is directly affected by fiscal policy.  If, however, we have to identify one other component, I would say that it is consumer spending.


Clearly, fiscal policy will affect government purchases in a direct way.  When the government engages in fiscal policy, it increases or decreases its spending.  This means, in part, that it makes more purchases or fewer.  For example, the government might pay more companies to build or maintain roads as part of fiscal policy.  When this happens, the government-purchases component of aggregate demand rises as a direct result of the fiscal policy.


I would argue that this is the only component that is directly affected by fiscal policy.  However, you state that you need to identify two components that are affected.  I would argue that the second is consumer spending.  When the government decreases taxes and increases spending, for example, people have more money available to them.  Because of this, they are able to spend more money and consumer spending will rise.  I would argue that this is not really a direct effect because fiscal policy does not directly increase consumer spending.  However, fiscal policy does affect consumer spending fairly directly.  It does so much more directly than it affects business investment or net exports.  For this reason, I would say that government purchases and consumer spending are the two parts of aggregate demand that are directly affected by fiscal policy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...