Discuss Whether Economic Growth Is Always Desirable

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Discuss whether Economics Growth is always desirable. Economic growth can be defined as the percentage increase in real GDP over a given period of time (usually one year). Growth is measured in real terms- in other words it takes into account the rate of inflation. He formula for working out percentage increases in GDP is: (New GDP-Original GDP)/Original GDP*100 Economic growth can be caused by an increase in productivity or production. Production is the physical output from the production process created by using the four factors of production. Productivity is a measure of the output produced per unit of a factor of production e.g. 50 units of output per unit of labour. Actual growth is the amount of growth that has increased. Potential growth is where AS (supply) increases, resulting in economic growth increasing. Actual and potential growth can be shown on a diagram: One of the main benefits of economic growth is the increase in goods and services. This may be because the economy has increased its output, possibly by increasing their productivity. Consumers would be able to enjoy more goods and services, and therefore there would be an increase in living standards. The standard of living is the amount of goods and services that are enjoyed by residents in an economy. This is often measured in real GDP/capita. If living standards are raised, then the government would be able to spend less on health care and more on other areas such as social welfare. This means that there would be less of an opportunity cost for the government. Opportunity cost is the sacrifice made of the next best alternative forgone: A benefit of economic growth is that it enables the government to focus on equity issues related to the distribution of income. Income redistribution involves the relocation of income from the rich to the poor through the system of progressive

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