AQA A-level Economics
4.2.5.2 Supply-side policies
Supply-side policies aim to improve the long run productive potential of the economy. The
economy can experience supply-side improvements in the private sector, without
government intervention. For example, there could be improvements in productivity,
innovation and investment. The aims of supply-side policies include:
Strengths and weaknesses of supply-side policies:
Supply-side policies are the only policies which can deal with structural
unemployment, because the labour market can be directly improved with education
and training.
Demand-side policies are better at dealing with cyclical unemployment, since they
can reduce the size of a negative output gap and shift the AD curve to the right.
There are significant time lags associated with supply-side policies.
Market-based supply-side policies, such as reducing the rate of tax, could lead to a
more unequal distribution of wealth.
The distinction between market-based and interventionist policies:
Market-based policies limit the intervention of the government and allow the free
market to eliminate imbalances. The forces of supply and demand are used.
Interventionist policies rely on the government intervening in the market.
Free market supply-side policies
o To increase incentives
- Reducing income and corporation tax to encourage spending and
investment. This could increase the long run productive potential of the
economy, especially if labour and capital becomes more productive. This
improves the underlying trend of economic growth.
o To promote competition
PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com
AQA A-level Economics
- By deregulating or privatising the public sector, firms can compete in a
competitive market, which should also help improve economic efficiency.
o To reform the labour market
- Reducing the NMW (or abolishing it altogether) will allow free market
forces to allocate wages and the labour market should clears. Reducing
trade union power makes employing workers less restrictive and it
increases the mobility of labour. This makes the labour market more
efficient.
Interventionist supply-side policies:
o To promote competition
- A stricter government competition policy could help reduce the
monopoly power of some firms and ensure smaller firms can compete,
too.
o To reform the labour market
- Governments could try and improve the geographical mobility of labour by
subsidising the relocation of workers and improving the availability of job
vacancy information.
o To improve skills and quality of the labour force
- The government could subsidise training or spend more on education.
This also lowers costs for firms, since they will have to train fewer
workers.
- Spending more on healthcare helps improve the quality of the labour
force, and contributes towards higher productivity.
o To improve infrastructure
- Governments could spend more on infrastructure, such as improving
roads and schools.
PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com
