why we need the government in economy Related: All about Macroeconomics-Overview - Economics?

EduRev

All Courses

Explore Courses UPSC Exam UPSC Test Series Free Notes EduRev Infinity

Open App

Commerce Exam > Commerce Questions > why we need the government in economy Related...

Join the Discussion on the App

why we need the government in economy

Join for Free

Join for Free

Verified Answer

why we need the government in economy Related: All about Macroeconomi...

In the narrowest sense, the government's involvement in the economy is to help correct market failures, or situations in which private markets cannot maximize the value that they could create for society. This includes providing public goods, internalizing externalities (consequences of economic activities on unrelated third parties), and enforcing competition. That being said, many societies have accepted a broader involvement of government in a capitalist economy.

While consumers and producers make most of the decisions that mold the economy, government activities have a powerful effect on the U.S. economy in several areas.

Promoting Stabilization and Growth

Perhaps most important, the federal government guides the overall pace of economic activity, attempting to maintain steady growth, high levels of employment, and price stability. By adjusting spending and tax rates (known as fiscal policy) or managing the money supply and controlling the use of credit (known as monetary policy), it can slow down or speed up the economy's rate of growth and, in the process, affect the level of prices and employment.

For many years following the Great Depression of the 1930s, recessions—periods of slow economic growth and high unemployment often defined as two consecutive quarters of decline in the gross domestic product, or GDP—were viewed as the greatest of economic threats. When the danger of recession appeared most serious, the government sought to strengthen the economy by spending heavily itself or by cutting taxes so that consumers would spend more, and by fostering rapid growth in the money supply, which also encouraged more spending.

In the 1970s, major price increases, particularly for energy, created a strong fear of inflation, which is an increase in the overall level of prices. As a result, government leaders came to concentrate more on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending, resisting tax cuts, and reining in growth in the money supply.

A New Plan for Stabilizing the Economy

Ideas about the best tools for stabilizing the economy changed substantially between the 1960s and the 1990s. In the 1960s, government had great faith in fiscal policy, or the manipulation of government revenues to influence the economy. Since spending and taxes are controlled by the president and the Congress, these elected officials played a leading role in directing the economy. A period of high inflation, high unemployment, and huge government deficits weakened confidence in fiscal policy as a tool for regulating the overall pace of economic activity. Instead, monetary policy—controlling the nation's money supply through such devices as interest rates—assumed a growing involvement.

Monetary policy is directed by the nation's central bank, known as the Federal Reserve Board, which has considerable independence from the president and the Congress. The "Fed" was created in 1913 in the belief that centralized, regulated control of the nation’s monetary system would help alleviate or prevent financial crises such as the Panic of 1907, which started with a failed attempt to corner the market on the stock of the United Copper Co. and triggered a run on bank withdrawals and the bankruptcy of financial institutions nationwide.

This question is part of UPSC exam. View all Commerce courses

View all answers Start learning for free

Explore Courses for Commerce exam

Similar Commerce Doubts

Read the following passage and answer on the basis of the same :The subject-matter of economics is divided into two major branches—Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of individual economic units and individual economic variables, whereas macroeconomics deals with the functioning of the economy as a whole. Macroeconomics dealswith the broad economic aggregates or bigger issues, such as full employment, unemployment, full capacity, under capacity production, inflation or deflation, etc. Macroeconomics is concerned with the theory of national income, employment, aggregate consumption, savings and investment, general price level, economic growth, etc. Whereas, microeconomics is concerned with the theory of product pricing, factor pricing and consumer behaviour, etc.Positive economics is the branch of economics that concerns the description and explanation of economic phenomena. It focuses on facts and cause and effect behavioural relationships and includes the development and testing of economic theories. Positive economics is objective and facts based. Whereas normative economics is a part of economics that expresses value or normative judgments about economic fairness or what the outcome of the economy or goals of public policy ought to be. Normative economics is subjective and value based.For example, the statement, “government-provided healthcare increases public expenditures” is a positive economic statement and the statement, “government should provide basic healthcare to all citizens” is a normative economic statement.Q. Macroeconomics is concerned with the theory of national income, employment, aggregate consumption, savings and investment, general price level, economic growth.

View answer

Read the following passage and answer on the basis of the same : The subject-matter of economics is divided into two major branches—Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of individual economic units and individual economic variables, whereas macroeconomics deals with the functioning of the economy as a whole. Macroeconomics dealswith the broad economic aggregates or bigger issues, such as full employment, unemployment, full capacity, under capacity production, inflation or deflation, etc. Macroeconomics is concerned with the theory of national income, employment, aggregate consumption, savings and investment, general price level, economic growth, etc. Whereas, microeconomics is concerned with the theory of product pricing, factor pricing and consumer behaviour, etc.Positive economics is the branch of economics that concerns the description and explanation of economic phenomena. It focuses on facts and cause and effect behavioural relationships and includes the development and testing of economic theories. Positive economics is objective and facts based. Whereas normative economics is a part of economics that expresses value or normative judgments about economic fairness or what the outcome of the economy or goals of public policy ought to be. Normative economics is subjective and value based.For example, the statement, “government-provided healthcare increases public expenditures” is a positive economic statement and the statement, “government should provide basic healthcare to all citizens” is a normative economic statement.Assertion (

View answer

Read the following passage and answer on the basis of the same : The subject-matter of economics is divided into two major branches—Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of individual economic units and individual economic variables, whereas macroeconomics deals with the functioning of the economy as a whole. Macroeconomics dealswith the broad economic aggregates or bigger issues, such as full employment, unemployment, full capacity, under capacity production, inflation or deflation, etc. Macroeconomics is concerned with the theory of national income, employment, aggregate consumption, savings and investment, general price level, economic growth, etc. Whereas, microeconomics is concerned with the theory of product pricing, factor pricing and consumer behaviour, etc.Positive economics is the branch of economics that concerns the description and explanation of economic phenomena. It focuses on facts and cause and effect behavioural relationships and includes the development and testing of economic theories. Positive economics is objective and facts based. Whereas normative economics is a part of economics that expresses value or normative judgments about economic fairness or what the outcome of the economy or goals of public policy ought to be. Normative economics is subjective and value based.For example, the statement, “government-provided healthcare increases public expenditures” is a positive economic statement and the statement, “government should provide basic healthcare to all citizens” is a normative economic statement.Q. .................. studies the economic behaviour of individual economic units and individual economic variables. (Fill up the blank with correct alternativ e)

View answer

scope of macroeconomic Related: All about Macroeconomics-Overview - Economics?

View answer

Read the following passage and answer on the basis of the same : The subject-matter of economics is divided into two major branches—Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of individual economic units and individual economic variables, whereas macroeconomics deals with the functioning of the economy as a whole. Macroeconomics dealswith the broad economic aggregates or bigger issues, such as full employment, unemployment, full capacity, under capacity production, inflation or deflation, etc. Macroeconomics is concerned with the theory of national income, employment, aggregate consumption, savings and investment, general price level, economic growth, etc. Whereas, microeconomics is concerned with the theory of product pricing, factor pricing and consumer behaviour, etc.Positive economics is the branch of economics that concerns the description and explanation of economic phenomena. It focuses on facts and cause and effect behavioural relationships and includes the development and testing of economic theories. Positive economics is objective and facts based. Whereas normative economics is a part of economics that expresses value or normative judgments about economic fairness or what the outcome of the economy or goals of public policy ought to be. Normative economics is subjective and value based.For example, the statement, “government-provided healthcare increases public expenditures” is a positive economic statement and the statement, “government should provide basic healthcare to all citizens” is a normative economic statement.Q. What do you mean by Positive Economics?

View answer

Top Courses for CommerceView all

Chapter Notes for Commerce

Economics Class 12

Economics Class 11

NCERT Books & Solutions for Commerce

Economics for CBSE Class 12 Board Examinations