EconEdLink

STANDARDS

Name: Unemployment and Inflation

Standard: 19

• Students will understand that: Unemployment imposes costs on individuals and the overall economy. Inflation, both expected and unexpected, also imposes costs on individuals and the overall economy. Unemployment increases during recessions and decreases during recoveries.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Make informed decisions by anticipating the consequences of inflation and unemployment.

Name: Economic Growth

Standard: 15

• Students will understand that: Investment in factories, machinery, new technology, and in the health, education, and training of people stimulates economic growth and can raise future standards of living.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Predict the consequences of investment decisions made by individuals, businesses, and governments.

Name: Scarcity

Standard: 1

• Students will understand that: Productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Identify what they gain and what they give up when they make choices.

Name: Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Standard: 20

• Students will understand that: Federal government budgetary policy and the Federal Reserve System's monetary policy influence the overall levels of employment, output, and prices.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Anticipate the impact of the federal government and the Federal Reserve System macroeconomic policy decisions on themselves and others.

Name: Income

Standard: 13

• Students will understand that: Income for most people is determined by the market value of the productive resources they sell. What workers earn primarily depends on the market value of what they produce.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Predict future earnings based on their current plans for education, training, and career options.

Name: Institutions

Standard: 10

• Students will understand that: Institutions evolve and are created to help individuals and groups accomplish their goals. Banks, labor unions, markets, corporations, legal systems, and not-for-profit organizations are examples of important institutions. A different kind of institution, clearly defined and enforced property rights, is essential to a market economy.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Describe the roles of various economic institutions and explain the importance of property rights in a market economy.

Name: Economic Fluctuations

Standard: 18

• Students will understand that: Fluctuations in a nation's overall levels of income, employment, and prices are determined by the interaction of spending and production decisions made by all households, firms, government agencies, and others in the economy. Recessions occur when overall levels of income and employment decline.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Interpret media reports about current economic conditions and explain how these conditions can influence decisions made by consumers, producers, and government policy makers.

Name: Decision Making

Standard: 2

• Students will understand that: Effective decision making requires comparing the additional costs of alternatives with the additional benefits. Many choices involve doing a little more or a little less of something: few choices "are all or nothing" decisions.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Make effective decisions as consumers, producers, savers, investors, and citizens.

Name: Specialization

Standard: 6

• Students will understand that: When individuals, regions, and nations specialize in what they can produce at the lowest cost and then trade with others, both production and consumption increase.
• Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Explain how they can benefit themselves and others by developing special skills and strengths.