Importance of Human Capital for Economic Gowth

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Should the government intervene in the economy? By Tejvan Pettinger on September 24, 2012 in economics One of the main issues in economics is the extent to which the government should intervene in the economy. Free market economists argue that government intervention should be strictly limited as government intervention tends to cause an inefficient allocation of resources. However, others argue there is a strong case for government intervention in different fields. hoover-dam Hoover Dam built in the 1930s with government funds Summary of whether should the government intervene in the economy. Arguments for Government Intervention Greater Equality – redistribute income and wealth to improve equality of opportunity and equality of outcome Market Failure – Markets fail to take into account externalities and are likely to under-produce public / merit goods. For example, governments can subsidise or provide goods with positive externalities. Macroeconomic intervention. – intervention to overcome prolonged recessions and reduce unemployment. Arguments against Government Intervention Governments liable to make the wrong decisions – influence by political pressure groups, they spend on inefficient projects which lead to inefficient outcome. Personal Freedom. Government intervention is taking away individuals decision on how to spend and act. Economic intervention, takes some personal freedom away. Market is best at deciding how and when to produce. Arguments for Government Intervention to improve equality In a free market, there tends to be inequality in income, wealth and opportunity. Private charity tends to be partial. Government intervention is necessary to redistribute income within society. Diminishing marginal returns to income. The law of diminishing returns states that as income increases, there is a
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