Question

3. What is the shape of the AS curve in the SR versus the LR and why?

Answer 1

Aggregate supply is the total supply of goods and services that firms in a national economy plan to sell during a specific time period.

Short-run Aggregate Supply

In the short-run, the aggregate supply is graphed as an upward sloping curve. The equation used to determine the short-run aggregate supply is: Y = Y* + α(P-Pe). In the equation, Y is the production of the economy, Y* is the natural level of production of the economy, the coefficient α is always greater than 0, P is the price level, and Pe is the expected price level from consumers.

The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping because the quantity supplied increases when the price rises. In the short-run, firms have one fixed factor of production (usually capital ). When the curve shifts outward the output and real GDP increase at a given price. As a result, there is a positive correlation between the price level and output, which is shown on the short-run aggregate supply curve.

Long-run Aggregate Supply

In the long-run, the aggregate supply is graphed vertically on the supply curve. The equation used to determine the long-run aggregate supply is: Y = Y*. In the equation, Y is the production of the economy and Y* is the natural level of production of the economy.

The long-run aggregate supply curve is vertical which reflects economists’ beliefs that changes in the aggregate demand only temporarily change the economy’s total output. In the long-run, only capital, labor, and technology affect aggregate supply because everything in the economy is assumed to be used optimally. The long-run aggregate supply curve is static because it is the slowest aggregate supply curve.