Economics Unit 4: Managing the Economy

Prerequisites

Economics Unit 3.

Course Description

The ability of the Australian economy to achieve its domestic macroeconomic goals has a significant effect on living standards in Australia. Policymakers, including the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), can utilise a wide range of policy instruments to affect these goals and to affect living standards.

This unit focusses on the role of aggregate demand policies in stabilising the business cycle to achieve the domestic macroeconomic goals. Students develop an understanding of how the Australian Government can alter the composition of budgetary outlays and receipts to directly and indirectly affect the level of aggregate demand, the achievement of domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.

Students also examine the role of the RBA with a focus on its responsibility to conduct monetary policy. Students consider how the tools of monetary policy can affect interest rates, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy to the economy and how this contributes towards the achievement of the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.

Students consider and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the aggregate demand policies in achieving the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.

Expanding the productive capacity of the economy and improving Australia’s international competitiveness is critical to ensuring that economic growth, low inflation and employment opportunities can be maintained both now and into the future. Students consider how the Australian Government utilises selected aggregate supply policies to pursue the achievement of the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards over the long term.

Areas of Study

Aggregate demand policies and domestic economic stability

In this area of study students examine how the RBA and the Australian Government can utilise monetary and budgetary policy respectively to affect the level of aggregate demand in the economy. Students discuss the operation of aggregate demand policies, and analyse how current aggregate demand policy settings are intended to effect the achievement of the domestic macroeconomic goals and influence living standards. Students analyse the relative strengths and weaknesses of the policies in influencing the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.

Aggregate Supply Policies

In this area of study students examine the role of aggregate supply policies in creating a stronger macroeconomic environment so that the domestic macroeconomic goals can be more easily achieved. They investigate the different approaches that policymakers may take to promote efficiency through productivity growth, reductions in the costs of production, and improvements in the quality and quantity of the factors of production. Students analyse how these policies may affect aggregate supply and Australia’s international competitiveness and draw conclusions about the effects of these policies on the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.

Assessment

Outcomes	Assessment Tasks	Marks Allocated
Outcomes	(school-assessed coursework)	Marks Allocated
On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss the operation of aggregate demand policies and analyse their intended effects on the achievement of the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.	Folio of exercises or essay or test or report.	60
On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss the operation of aggregate supply policies and analyse the effect of these policies on the domestic macroeconomic goals and living standards.	Folio of exercises or essay or test or report.	40
Total Marks		100

Overall Final Assessment

Graded Assessment	Title	Assessment	Exam Duration	Contribution to Study Score (%)
1	Unit 3 Coursework	School-assessed		25
2	Unit 4 Coursework	School-assessed		25
3	Written Examination	November	2 hours	50