Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning2 2 Thinking Like an Economist Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning ??主要内容: 主要内容: 经济学的研究方法(科学研究/ 政策研究) ??重点: 重点: 生产可能性曲线( PPF )的特征、经济学意义及应用??学完本章后,你应该: 学完本章后,你应该: ?了解经济学的基本假设?掌握两个基本的经济学模型?能够用 PPF 解释稀缺性、效率、权衡取舍、机会成本、经济增长等 5个概念?能够用 PPF 说明贸易的好处 Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning Thinking Like an Economist ? Every field of study has its own terminology ? Economics trains you to. . . . ? Think in terms of alternatives. ? Evaluate the cost of individual and social choices. ? Examine and understand how certain events and issues are related. ? The economic way of thinking . . . ? Involves thinking analytically and objectively. ? Makes use of the scientific method. Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning The Scientific Method: Observation, Theory, and More Observation ? Uses abstract models to help explain how a complex, real world operates. ? Develops theories, collects, and analyzes data to evaluate the theories. Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning The Role of Assumptions ? Economists make assumptions in order to make the world easier to understand. ? The art in scientific thinking is deciding which assumptions to make. ? Economists use different assumptions to answer different questions. Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning Economic Models ? Economists use models to simplify reality in order to improve our understanding of the world ? Two of the most basic economic models include: ? The Circular Flow Diagram ? The Production Possibilities Frontier Copyright ? 2004 South-Western/Thomson Learning Our First Model: The Circular-Flow Diagram ? The circular-flow diagram is a visual model of the economy that shows how dollars flow through markets among households and firms. Figure 1 The Circular Flow Copyright ? 2004 South-Western Spending Goods and services bought Revenue Goods and services sold Labor, land, and capital e = Flow of inputs
