scarcity is the root of all economic problems.explain the statement (4marks)
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Scarcity, or limited resources, is one of the most basic economic problems we face. We run into scarcity because while resources are limited, we are a society with unlimited wants. Therefore, we have to choose. We have to make trade-offs. We have to efficiently allocate resources. We have to do those things because resources are limited and cannot meet our own unlimited demands.
Without scarcity, the science of economics would not exist. Economics is the study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. If society did not have to make choices about what to produce, distribute, and consume, the study of those actions would be relatively boring. Society would produce, distribute, and consume an infinite amount of everything to satisfy the unlimited wants and needs of humans. Everyone would get everything they wanted, and it would all be free. But we all know that is not the case. The decisions and trade-offs society makes due to scarcity is what economists study. Why are certain decisions made and what is the next best alternative that was forgone?
As noted, if scarcity did not exist, all goods and services would be free. A good is considered scarce if it has a non-zero cost to consume. In other words, it costs something. Almost every good we consume as individuals, or as a society, costs something and is scarce. By consuming one good, another good is foregone. Therefore, scarcity creates a need for decisions and trade-offs to be made.
Why are some scarce goods more expensive than other scarce goods? The cost of a good is a signal of its scarcity. One good may be more scarce than another, either because of limited resources or higher want (demand) for that good.
Let's take two scarce goods - shark meat and chicken. Both have a non-zero cost/price, but we would all agree shark meat is much more expensive to buy than chicken. Why is that? The resources to produce shark meat are largely limited by the labor and capital it takes to catch a shark, while the labor and capital required to produce chickens is less limiting. Even though the resources to produce both are limited, there is much more labor and capital available to produce chicken meat than shark meat. Not to mention the quantity of sharks is also much more limited than that of chickens. Factors like production costs and labor affect the cost of scarce items.
If the unlimited wants and needs of a particular good can be met by resources, then it is not considered scarce.
Without scarcity, the science of economics would not exist. Economics is the study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. If society did not have to make choices about what to produce, distribute, and consume, the study of those actions would be relatively boring. Society would produce, distribute, and consume an infinite amount of everything to satisfy the unlimited wants and needs of humans. Everyone would get everything they wanted, and it would all be free. But we all know that is not the case. The decisions and trade-offs society makes due to scarcity is what economists study. Why are certain decisions made and what is the next best alternative that was forgone?
As noted, if scarcity did not exist, all goods and services would be free. A good is considered scarce if it has a non-zero cost to consume. In other words, it costs something. Almost every good we consume as individuals, or as a society, costs something and is scarce. By consuming one good, another good is foregone. Therefore, scarcity creates a need for decisions and trade-offs to be made.
Why are some scarce goods more expensive than other scarce goods? The cost of a good is a signal of its scarcity. One good may be more scarce than another, either because of limited resources or higher want (demand) for that good.
Let's take two scarce goods - shark meat and chicken. Both have a non-zero cost/price, but we would all agree shark meat is much more expensive to buy than chicken. Why is that? The resources to produce shark meat are largely limited by the labor and capital it takes to catch a shark, while the labor and capital required to produce chickens is less limiting. Even though the resources to produce both are limited, there is much more labor and capital available to produce chicken meat than shark meat. Not to mention the quantity of sharks is also much more limited than that of chickens. Factors like production costs and labor affect the cost of scarce items.
If the unlimited wants and needs of a particular good can be met by resources, then it is not considered scarce.
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