Explanation​:
In the Keynesian model, wages are assumed to be downwardly inflexible: they may rise in times of inflation, but rarely fall in times of recession. For this reason, the economy could get stuck in a recessionary gap if the government does not intervene. This is because production costs will not fall, and so, aggregate supply will not increase.

Choices A, B, and C are all associated with the new classical/monetarist model, which assumes that recessionary gaps are not persistent.

Explanation​:
Statement I is incorrect because an increase in interest rates will lead to higher borrowing costs and a higher reward for saving, resulting in decreased investment expenditure and consumption, thus decreasing AD, not SRAS.

Statement II is incorrect because lower consumer confidence will lead to lower consumption expenditure and decreased AD, not SRAS.

Statement III is correct because higher costs of production across the economy will shift the SRAS curve to the left.

Statement IV is correct because an increase in indirect taxes will also raise the costs of production for businesses and thus shift SRAS to the left.

Explanation​:
Choice D is the correct answer because it shows that the equilibrium price level would increase without any increase in the equilibrium GDP level. This occurs when the economy has reached the full employment real GDP and there are no unused factors of production. Increasing AD causes inflation without any growth to real GDP.

Choice A is incorrect because it shows a scenario of growth without any inflation.
Both choices B and C depict a scenario of growth with inflation where both the equilibrium APL and real GDP increase.

Explanation​:
There is often a conflict between achieving economic growth and environmental sustainability. The pursuit of better economic well-being for citizens and increased efficiency of the economic system does not always guarantee environmental sustainability.

Economic growth is often accompanied by job creation and improvements in the standard of living of many citizens, so choices A and B are likely to be true. Economic growth often means an increase in total output produced by the economy, which involves the use of more resources and the production of more waste, so choice C is likely to be true.

It is least likely that economic growth is accompanied by decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, and thus choice D is the least likely to be true.

Explanation​:
Short-run equilibrium occurs at the intersection of AD and SRAS. Long-run equilibrium occurs when AD = SRAS = LRAS. Therefore, at point $A$, the economy is in short-run equilibrium only.

Explanation​:
A decrease in sales taxes will lower production costs for businesses across the economy, which increases short-run aggregate supply, reducing inflationary pressure.

Choice A will cause demand-pull inflation. Choices B and C will cause cost-push inflation. Therefore, choices A, B, and C are causes of inflation.

Explanation​:

The AS curve shifts when there are changes in the costs of factors of production or indirect taxes (VAT). The AD curve shifts when there is a change in domestic consumption, investment, government spending, or net exports.

A cut in income tax would increase AD (AD1​ to AD2​), increasing disposable income and domestic consumption. A rise in indirect taxes would decrease AS (AS1​ to AS3​), as it would increase production costs across the economy.

Explanation​:
Statement I is incorrect. Discretionary spending refers to changes in spending that require a decision to be made by the government. Such changes are not automatic.

Statement II is correct. Progressive taxation and unemployment benefits act as automatic stabilisers. In countries with a more progressive income tax and a larger welfare state, the impact of automatic stabilisers will be more significant.

Statement III is correct. Automatic stabilisers make the business cycle less volatile, keeping the growth rate lower in $\text{‘}$boom$\text{’}$ periods.

Explanation​:
Choice A is the correct answer by definition. Quantitative easing is a process where a central bank buys long-term government bonds (and other financial assets) from commercial banks (other financial institutions) and credits their accounts with electronic reserves as digital entries held by the commercial banks at the central bank.

Explanation​:
A shift of the SRAS curve to the left constitutes a negative supply shock and will push the economy into a period of stagflation, where the economy is experiencing both inflation and recession. As a result, the inflation rate rises and the unemployment rate rises as well.

Choice A would be the result of AD shifting rightward.

Choice B would be the result of AD shifting leftward.

Choice D would be the result of SRAS shifting rightward.

Explanation​:
Interventionist supply-side policies may be a burden on the government budget but they often lead to a more equitable distribution of income, and less economic inequality.

Choices A, C, and D are possible drawbacks of such policies: they are expensive and may place an unsustainable burden on national debt, they involve long time-lags, and the increased government spending may create inflationary pressures in the economy.

Explanation​:

The following are adjustments made to GDP to allow for more accurate comparisons over time and between countries:

• • Adjustment for inflation: converts nominal figures into real figures
• • Adjustment for nationality: converts GDP to GNI
• • Adjustment for population size: converts total figures into per capita figures

While inflation, nationality, and population size are commonly adjusted for, there is no commonly used national income measure that adjusts for inequality (Choice D). While it is useful to measure income inequality and use it to compare between countries, it is not necessarily relevant to GDP calculations and adjustments.

Explanation​:
The MPI was developed by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, and it includes three dimensions.

Options A, B, and C are the three dimensions in which poverty is measured using MPI

Explanation​:
Governments borrow by issuing bonds, which domestic or overseas individuals or entities (such as commercial or central banks) can purchase.

Choice A is incorrect because transfer payments only entail a redistribution of income. They do not directly increase demand for a nation’s goods or services.

Choice B is incorrect, as contractionary fiscal policy lowers inflation, making exports more competitive. Additionally, contractionary fiscal policy suppresses consumer spending, including spending on imports.

Choice D is incorrect, as fiscal policy can redistribute income by adjusting income tax and transfer payment policies.

Explanation​:
Structural unemployment is caused by a decrease in demand for specific labor skills due to increased automation (replacement of workers by machinery) or outsourcing (moving jobs overseas due to cheaper labor costs).

Choices A, C, and D are also types of unemployment, but their causes are different.

Explanation​:
Increasing the money supply is a type of expansionary monetary policy that aims to stimulate overall spending and may increase national output and the average price level. It is usually implemented by central banks during recessions, which are characterized by a decrease in price level, a high unemployment rate, or a negative economic growth rate.

Choice A depicts an ideal situation for the implementation of expansionary monetary policy as it could deal with weak demand that caused the recession without significant inflation coming from three successive quarters of deflation.

Choice B is incorrect as the maintenance of a 2$\%$ inflation rate is consistent with achieving inflation targeting by central banks. Expansionary monetary policy would introduce greater volatility in the average price level, causing higher inflation.

Choices C and D both depict a scenario where rapid economic growth is achieved through an increase in aggregate demand. However, implementing expansionary monetary in this case would not result in stable prices and low inflation.

Explanation​:
Budget deficits are financed through borrowing, which will $\text{‘}$crowd out$\text{’}$ private investment. Increased government borrowing makes loanable funds scarcer, driving up their price (interest rates).

Choices A, B and C are wrong, as sustained budget deficits increase AD and therefore the level of economic activity, resulting in:

• decreased net exports (X-M), which move the country towards a current account deficit
• increased inflation
• decreased unemployment

Statement II is incorrect because personal income tax cuts fall under market-based supply-side policies relating to incentives, rather than encouraging competition.

Statement III is correct because removing barriers to trade will allow foreign businesses to compete with domestic businesses. This competition incentivises domestic firms to be more efficient.

Statement IV is incorrect because abolishing minimum wages falls under market-based supply-side policies that are aimed at making the labour market more flexible rather than policies to encourage competition.

Explanation​:
An increase in the corporate tax rate will decrease AD by decreasing investment in the economy.

Choices B and D redistribute income in a way that should increase consumption, as the marginal propensity to consume for lower-income households tends to be higher.

Choice C is wrong, as increasing government spending directly increases AD.

Explanation​:

Leakages involve income earned that is not spent on domestic goods and services. Leakages include: saving, taxes, and import spending.

Export revenue is an injection into the circular flow, not a leakage.

Therefore, choices A, C, and D are incorrect because export revenue is an injection, not a leakage.

Explanation​:
Choice D incorrectly describes speculative demand for money. It suggests that money has inherent value and that people speculate on the appreciation of money itself. However, speculative demand for money occurs when people anticipate a change in interest rates and prefer to hold money over interest-bearing assets.
Choice A describes the transactions motive.
Choice B describes the precautionary motive.
Choice C describes the speculative motive.

Explanation​:

Choice B

• If the ECB purchases government securities (bonds), it increases the money supply as it pays bondholders.
• If the ECB lowers the reserve requirement, commercial banks have more excess reserves for more loanable funds that increase credit creation and the money supply.
• If the ECB decreases the interest rate that it charges commercial banks (minimum lending rate or discount rate), banks borrow more and can lend more, increasing the money supply.

Choices A, C, and D include actions that decrease the money supply

• selling securities
• raising the reserve requirement
• increasing the minimum lending rate