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Chapter 12: Problem 4

"People in a barter economy came up with the idea of money because they wanted to do something to make society better off." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Agree. The introduction of money in a barter economy solved the problems of double coincidence of wants, divisibility and deferment of payments, and facilitated trade. Therefore, it made society better off.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Barter System

In a barter economy, goods and services are directly exchanged for other goods and services without using a medium of exchange, like money. This system is based on a mutual agreement between parties, and has some limitations such as the 'double coincidence of wants' problem.
02

Recognize the Introduction of Money

Money was introduced as a common medium of exchange to overcome the limitations of the barter system. It functions as a unit of account, a store of value, and a standard of deferred payment. Money enables any good or service to be indirectly exchanged for any other.
03

Evaluate the Impact on Society

The introduction of money greatly simplified trade and allowed for greater economic productivity. It eliminated the need for a double coincidence of wants, facilitated savings and deferred payment, and allowed for the division of goods and services into easily tradable units. Thus, it can be argued that the introduction of money made society better off.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Money makes trade easier. Would having a money supply twice as large as it currently is make trade twice as easy? Would having a money supply half its current size make trade half as easy?

Does inflation, which is an increase in the price level, affect the three functions of money? If so, how?

Explain why gold backing is not necessary to give paper money value.

Explain the difference between a bank's loans and its borrowings.

What is a financial system, and why would a country with a well-developed and fully functionally financial system be better off than a country without it?
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