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Resource Allocation

How resources are allocated in a free market economy: Derived demand and the assumptions of a free market

  • 4 things to know
  • AS Units 1 and 2

Overview

Derived demand for factors of production, and the free-market assumptions of many buyers and sellers, perfect information and rational behaviour, with why real agents fall short of them.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What happens to the demand for factors of production when demand increases in a product market?

Key term

If demand for electric vehicles increases, what would happen to the demand for lithium used in batteries?

Key term

What assumption does a free market make about the number of buyers and sellers?

Key term

Define rational behaviour in economics.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What happens to the demand for factors of production when demand increases in a product market?

    Model answer

    Derived demand for factors of production rises, as more inputs are needed to produce the additional output demanded.

  2. 2

    Define derived demand.

    Model answer

    Derived demand is the demand for factors of production that depends on the demand for the final goods and services they help produce.

  3. 3

    If demand for electric vehicles increases, what would happen to the demand for lithium used in batteries?

    Model answer

    Demand for lithium would increase because it is a derived demand—the demand for the factor depends on demand for the final product.

  4. 4

    What assumption does a free market make about the number of buyers and sellers?

    Model answer

    Free markets assume there is a large number of buyers and sellers, so no single agent can influence the market price.

  5. 5

    Why is it important that no single buyer or seller can influence the market price in a free market?

    Model answer

    This ensures that prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand rather than being manipulated by individual agents.

  6. 6

    What does the assumption of perfect information mean in free market theory?

    Model answer

    It means all buyers and sellers have complete knowledge of prices, quality, and available alternatives in the market.

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Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe demand curve shifts to the left.
BExcess supply exists at the original price.
CPrice falls until a new equilibrium is reached.

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Actual growth means a realised increase in output.
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