Question

6. Limitations of GDP Although GDP is a reasonably good measure of a nation's output, it does not necessarily include all transactions and production for that nation. Which of the following scenarios are either not accounted for or measured inaccurately by either the income or the expenditure methods of calculating GDP for the United States? Check all that apply. The quality of goods available to consumers The costs of air and water pollution Expenditures on federal highways The value of babysitting services, when the babysitter is paid in cash and the transaction isn't reported to the government When a U.S. company purchases and imports wood from Brazil to use to build new houses within the United States, this purchase increases the component of GDP while also net exports by the same amount. Therefore, the purchase of wood from Brazil causes in US GDP. g

Answer 1

a.

• The quality of goods available to consumers
• The costs of air and water pollution
• The value of babysitting services, when the babysitter is paid in cash and the transaction isn't reported to the government

b. investment; decreases; no overall change

Step-by-step explanation:

a. GDP only measures goods that have monetary value so when a good cannot be properly quantified in terms of cash, it is difficult to account for it in GDP. Also, even if the good has monetary value for the Government was unaware of it, they will be unable to use it in the calculation of GDP.

For these reasons, the quality of goods available to consumers, the costs of air and water pollution and the value of babysitting services, when the babysitter is paid in cash and the transaction isn't reported to the government will not be a part of GDP calculation.

b. When a U.S. company purchases and imports wood from Brazil to use to build new houses within the United States, this purchase increases the investment component of GDP while also decreasing net exports by the same amount. Therefore, the purchase of wood from Brazil causes no overall change in US GDP.

Purchasing raw materials for use in production is considered Investment by GDP. However, since it was imported it will reduce Net Exports which means that the transaction would cancel itself out in the GDP calculation as it would both increase investment and decrease Net exports by the same amounts.