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B.A.(Programme) / B.Com (P) Semester-I/II Economics
DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC CORE COURSE /
In Lieu of MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGE
Principles of Microeconomics I
Study Material : 1 (1-8)
SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING
University of Delhi
Department of Economics
Editor : Dr. Janmejoy Khuntia
Graduate Course
DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC CORE COURSE / In Lieu of
MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGE
Principles of Microeconomics I
CONTENTS
Lesson 1 : Problem of Scarcity and Choice
Lesson 2 : Demand
Lesson 3 : Elasticity of Demand
Lesson 4 : Supply and Elasticity of Supply
Lesson 5 : Determination of Equilibrium Price and Quantity
Lesson 6 : Some Applications of Demand & Supply
Lesson 7 : Theory of Consumer's Demand
Lesson 8 : Indifference Curve analysis
Editor :
Dr. Janmejoy Khuntia
SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING
University of Delhi
5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-110007
LESSON: 1
PROBLEM OF SCARCITY AND CHOICE
INTRODUCTION
Institutionalized behaviour pattern of man with regard to production, distribution and
consumption of wealth or the material means of satisfying human desires, is the distinguishing mark
of a particular economic system. But at the foundation of any such system, there will always be
found a few universal economic conditions. Although each economic system has its own
peculiarities, yet certain basic economic problems are common to all.
Learning Objectives
After going through the lesson, you will be able to
1. Know and analyse the central problems facing the economies of the world
2. Explain the concept of opportunity cost and its different types
3. Draw the various shapes of Production Possibility Curves (PPC)
4. Understand the role and limitations of price mechanism
5. Realise the importance and role of government
1.1 THE THREE CENTRAL PROBLEMS OF AN ECONOMY
There would not be existence of any problem if resources were unlimited, and an infinite
amount of every good could be produced. The question of choice arises directly out of the scarcity
of resources. The human wants that can be satisfied by consuming goods and services may be
regarded, for all practical purposes, in today’s world as limitless. In relation to the known desires
of individuals (for better food, clothes, housing, schooling entertainment and the like), the existing
supply of resources is highly inadequate.
Suppose a society possesses unlimited resources in the form of land, labour and capital
equipment. There will then be no economic problem because the economy can produce enough
goods and services to meet all the wants of persons, individually as well as collectively. There
would then be no economic goods, i.e., no goods that are relatively scarce. And there would hardly
be any need for a study of economics or economizing. All goods would be free goods, like air, sun-
shine and rain water. But in reality, it is possible to produce only a small fraction of the goods and
services that people desire.
Any society, whether simple or complex, advanced or backward, free or controlled must somehow
confront three fundamental, interdependent and central economic problems given below:
(1) What goods and services shall be produced and in what quantities? This is called the
problem of what to produce?
(2) How will these goods and services be produced, i.e., by what method or technology
and with what resources? This is called the problem of how to produce?
(3) How will the goods produced be allocated among the members who make up the
society, i.e., whom are the goods produced for? This is called the problem of for whom
to produce?
Let us discuss these problems and their solutions.
1
The Problem of What to Produce
We know that resources can be used to produce more than one type of commodity. But the
point to note is that the same unit of the factor/resource cannot be available simultaneously to all
the activities for which it is useful. For example, a unit of labour can be employed either on a piece
of land for agriculture, or for a factory building or housing. Therefore, the community must choose
which activity to pursue from amongst the different activities. Choosing an activity further implies
that other alternate activities have to be sacrificed. If a factor unit such as labour or combination of
factors of production is used to produce one commodity, say steel, then you will have less of some
other commodity, say, food grains. Similarly, if the community decides to consume more now, it
will have less for the future, i.e., for the production of capital goods and machinery-which can
produce more consumers goods in future. The question what goods, to produce and what not to
produce, therefore, concerns the allocation of scarce resources among alternative uses.
For resource allocation, one needs two sets of information. One, the wants of the people
should be known with their preference intensifies. In other words, for a rational allocation of
resources a society must set priorities among their needs. Second, information regarding production
possibilities of different commodities with the given resources ought to be available. Such
information is summarized in the production possibility curve.
The Problem of How to Produce
The second problem concerns the organisation of resources, i.e., choice of technique. This
question arises whenever there is more than one technically possible way to produce goods.
Agricultural commodities, for example, can be produced by farming a large area of land while using
small quantities of inputs like fertilizers and machinery or by farming a small area of land
intensively, using large quantities of inputs such as fertilizers, labour and machinery. Both methods
can be used to produce the same quantity of some commodity. One method economizes on land
and uses large quantities of other resources, the other makes use of a large area of land and
economizes on capital. Similar possibilities are available in the industrial sector also. It is usually
possible to have the same output by several different techniques, ranging from highly labour
intensive techniques using large quantity of labour and a few tools, to those using a large quantity
of highly sophisticated machinery and only a very small number of workers commonly referred to
as capital intensive technology.
Several considerations are made before choosing whether to use labour intensive or capital-
intensive technology. One, a choice is open only to the extent one factor is substitutable for another.
Two, factor costs are another important consideration. Firms or producers normally look for least-
cost combinations of factors to produce certain level of output.
The Problem of For Whom to Produce
The third problem concerns the distribution of the national product among the members of the
community. Since an economy can produce only a limited amount of goods and services (because
of the resource constraint), it is not possible to meet all the demands of all the people. This poses
before the community the problem of choosing criteria for allocating this limited amount of goods
and services amongst various individuals and groups. In other words, the economy must decide as
to who will share the limited output and to what extent, and who will go without it.
As we know that the value of national product is called national income, the problem of for
whom to produce concerns distribution of national income in various forms such as wage, rent,
interest and profit. It is well-known that in the process of generation of income through production
of goods and services, the factors of production are compensated for factor services rendered.
Accordingly, wage is given for labour service, rent is paid for services of land and building, interest
is earned for lending capital and profit accrues to the entrepreneurial efforts made during production
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