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ECON 105

Can government policy close the gap?

Explore fiscal policy, spending and tax multipliers, automatic stabilizers, budgets and government debt. Move through 12 Learn steps, then practise with 10 worked Solve questions.

Choosing the policy direction · Step 1 of 12

Government can buy, tax or transfer

PolicyFirst extra spending
Purchases +2020
Taxes −2020 × 0.75 = 15
Transfers +2020 × 0.75 = 15
Extra real GDP from equal policy amounts ($ billion)
0255075Extra real GDPPurchasesTax cutTransfers
Purchases enter demand directlyTax cut: households spend the MPC shareTransfers: same first-round MPC share
Cedar Island is a fictional economy; all amounts here are invented $ billions. Government purchases buy goods or services, taxes collect money, and transfers pay households without buying output. Expansionary fiscal policy raises purchases, cuts taxes or raises transfers to increase demand.
Try it: Choose a policy of 20. Households spend 75% of extra disposable income; prices are fixed in this simple calculation.
Cedar Island chooses…
Policy amount
20
First spending
20
Extra GDP
80
Disposable income = income − taxes + transfers.
First spending = 20.
Extra GDP = 20 × 4.00 = 80.
Check yourself
Which payment is a transfer?

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