Economics – Grade 9 – Unit 1 - Scarcity

Learning Objectives:
Students should be able to:
 Understand Scarcity
 Identify Wants and Needs: Differentiate between wants and needs and understand how
they contribute to the concept of scarcity.
 Explain Opportunity Cost: Define opportunity cost and provide examples of how
making choices involves giving up alternative options.
 Explore Resource Allocation: Understand how societies allocate limited resources
among competing uses and the impact of these decisions.
Learning Outcomes:
students should be able to:
 Define and Explain Scarcity: Define scarcity and explain why it necessitates making
choices.
 Differentiate Wants and Needs: Differentiate between wants (desires) and needs
(necessities) and explain how they contribute to the economic problem of scarcity.
 Identify Opportunity Cost: Recognize opportunity cost as the value of the next best
alternative forgone when a choice is made.
 Discuss Resource Allocation: Discuss how societies allocate resources, considering
factors such as efficiency, equity, and sustainability
 Critical Thinking: Engage in critical thinking by evaluating the impact of different
choices on individuals, society, and the environment, considering short-term and long-
term consequences.
 Effective Communication: Communicate economic concepts, trade-offs, and decision-
making processes clearly and effectively in both written and verbal forms.
Economics:
Economics is the social science that studies how individuals, businesses, governments, and
societies make choices about how to allocate limited resources to fulfil their unlimited wants
and needs. It involves the analysis of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and
services, as well as the factors that influence these processes. Economics explores various
aspects of human behaviour, including decision-making, trade-offs, and the interactions
between supply and demand, all of which shape the way resources are used and distributed
within an economy.
In economics, "needs" and "wants" are fundamental concepts that help explain consumer
behaviour and the allocation of resources in society. These terms refer to different levels of
human desires and requirements:
Needs: Needs are essential requirements for human survival and well-being. They are the basic
necessities that individuals must have to live a healthy and fulfilling life. These needs are often
categorized into different types, including:
Basic Physical Needs: These include necessities such as food, water, shelter, clothing, and
healthcare. Without these, an individual's survival and health would be at risk.
Safety and Security Needs: These encompass the need for personal safety, protection from
harm, and a stable environment. This includes things like physical safety, job security, and
access to social services.
Wants: Wants are desires that go beyond basic needs and are shaped by personal preferences,
cultural influences, and individual aspirations. They are the things people desire to enhance
their quality of life and achieve higher levels of satisfaction. Wants can vary greatly from
person to person and over time, influenced by factors such as income, societal trends, and
advertising.
Luxuries: Luxuries are goods or services that are not necessary for survival or well-being but
provide comfort, pleasure, or status. Examples include high-end cars, designer clothing, and
exotic vacations.
Desired Services and Experiences: People often desire experiences such as entertainment,
travel, and leisure activities that go beyond basic needs.
Technological and Innovation-Based Wants: As technology advances, new products and
services emerge that fulfil wants that didn't even exist before. Examples include smartphones,
streaming services, and smart home devices.
In economics, the differentiation between needs and wants is important because it helps
economists understand consumer behaviour, demand patterns, and the allocation of resources.
Consumers make choices based on their limited resources (such as money and time) to satisfy
their needs and wants. This leads to the concept of scarcity, where resources are insufficient to
satisfy all human wants and needs.
Scarcity in Economics:
Scarcity is a fundamental concept in economics that refers to the condition where resources
(such as time, money, labour, and natural resources) are limited and not enough to satisfy all
human wants and needs. In other words, there is a gap between the unlimited wants and needs
of people and the limited resources available to fulfil those wants and needs.
Key Points to Understand:
Unlimited Wants: People have various desires and needs that they want to fulfil, ranging from
basic necessities like food and shelter to more luxurious desires like vacations or the latest
gadgets.
Limited Resources: The resources available to us are limited. These resources include not
only physical things like money and materials but also intangible resources like time and
human effort.
Choice: Due to the scarcity of resources, individuals, businesses, and governments must make
choices about how to allocate these resources. When one choice is made, it often means giving
up something else. This is known as a trade-off. For example, if a person spends money on a
new smartphone, they might have less money to spend on other things like clothes or
entertainment.
Opportunity Cost: The value of the next best alternative that must be given up when a choice
is made is known as the opportunity cost. It represents what you could have gained if you chose
an alternative option instead.
Supply and Demand: Scarcity leads to the concepts of supply and demand. Supply refers to
the quantity of a good or service available, while demand refers to the quantity of that good or
service that people want to buy. Prices in a market are influenced by the balance between supply
and demand.
Why Scarcity Matters:
Understanding scarcity helps us grasp the basic economic problem of how to make the best use
of limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants. It also drives the need for efficient resource
allocation, responsible consumption, and thoughtful decision-making. Economists study
scarcity to develop strategies for making choices that maximize individual and societal well-
being given the constraints of limited resources.
Assessment questions:
1. Define scarcity and explain why it is a fundamental economic problem.
2. Provide an example of an opportunity cost that you might face in your daily life.
3. Imagine you have $20 to spend and you can either buy a new video game or go to a
movie with friends. Explain the trade-offs involved in making this decision.
Application:
4. Your community has limited water resources due to a drought. Explain the concept of
scarcity in this situation and discuss how the community might allocate the available
water resources among households, farms, and industries.
5. Imagine you are a government policymaker. Your country has limited funds and needs
to decide between investing in healthcare or education. Discuss the opportunity cost of
each choice and how you would approach this decision.
Critical Thinking:
6. How might advancements in technology impact the concept of scarcity? Provide
examples to support your answer.
7. Consider the statement: "Scarcity is a universal problem that cannot be solved." Discuss
whether you agree or disagree with this statement, providing reasons for your stance.
References:
  Text book: "Economics for the IB Diploma" by Ellie Tragakes
 Explored online resources like Khan Academy, Investopedia, and the IB's official
website.

Factors of Production
In economics, the factors of production are the resources required to produce goods and
services. These resources are classified into four main categories:
Land
Land refers to all natural resources used in production.
This includes not only the physical land itself but also everything that is found on or beneath
it, such as minerals, water, forests, and agricultural soil.
Land is considered a fixed factor because its quantity is generally fixed in the short run.
Labour
Labour represents the human effort, skills, and knowledge used in the production process.
It includes both physical and mental work contributed by individuals.
The quantity and quality of labour can vary and can be influenced by factors like education,
training, and health.
Capital
Capital refers to the man-made goods used to produce other goods and services.
It includes machinery, equipment, tools, factories, and even money used for investment.
Capital is a produced factor, meaning it is created by human effort over time.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship involves the innovation, risk-taking, and management skills required to
organize the other factors of production (land, labor, and capital) to create goods and services.
Entrepreneurs are individuals who identify opportunities, make business decisions, and take on
the financial risks of their ventures.
Entrepreneurship is essential for economic growth and development.
Factors as Inputs in Production
These factors of production are used as inputs in the production process.
Combining these factors efficiently is essential for producing goods and services.
The level of technology and the organization of these factors can significantly impact
production efficiency and output.

Scarcity and Choices

Scarcity is a fundamental economic problem that arises due to limited resources (factors of
production) and unlimited wants.
Because resources are limited, societies and individuals must make choices about how to
allocate these resources efficiently.
Economic systems, like capitalism, socialism, or mixed economies, differ in how they make
these allocation decisions.
Conclusion
Understanding the factors of production is crucial for analyzing how goods and services are
produced and distributed in an economy. It also helps in studying how resource allocation
affects economic growth, efficiency, and societal well-being. In real-world economics, these
factors are often interrelated and influence each other in complex ways, making their study a
central part of economic analysis.
Production Possibility Curve (PPC)
A Production Possibility Curve (PPC), also known as a Production Possibility Frontier (PPF),
is a graphical representation used in economics to illustrate the trade-offs an economy faces
when allocating its limited resources to produce different combinations of two goods or
services. This concept is essential for understanding opportunity cost, scarcity, and the efficient
allocation of resources in an economy.
Key Points to Understand:
Scarcity: The fundamental problem in economics is scarcity, which means that resources are
limited, but human wants are unlimited. Therefore, societies must make choices about what to
produce and how to allocate resources efficiently.
Two Goods: In a simplified model, we consider the production of only two goods or services.
For example, you can think of two goods like "guns" and "butter," or "cars" and "computers."
The Curve: The PPC is typically represented as a curved line on a graph, with one good on
the x-axis and the other on the y-axis. Each point on the curve represents a specific combination
of the two goods that an economy can produce efficiently, given its resources and technology.
Efficiency: Points on the curve represent production levels at maximum efficiency. This means
that all available resources are fully utilized, and the economy is producing as much as it can
without waste.
Inside the Curve: If a point falls inside the curve (below it), it indicates that the economy is
not using its resources efficiently. It's producing fewer goods than it could with the same
resources.
Outside the Curve: Points outside the curve are currently unattainable with the given
resources and technology. To reach these points, an economy would need to increase its
resources or improve its technology.
Opportunity Cost: The slope of the PPC represents the opportunity cost of producing one
good over the other. Opportunity cost is what you give up to produce something else. The
steeper the curve, the higher the opportunity cost.
Shifts in the PPC: The PPC can shift outward (to the right) if an economy experiences
economic growth. This can result from factors like increased resources, improved technology,
or a more skilled workforce. Conversely, the PPC can shift inward (to the left) due to factors
like natural disasters or resource depletion.
Choice: Societies and economies must decide what combination of goods to produce along the
PPC based on their preferences and needs. This choice is influenced by factors such as
consumer demand, government policies, and cultural values.
Conclusion:
The Production Possibility Curve is a fundamental tool in economics that helps us understand
the concept of scarcity, opportunity cost, and resource allocation. It demonstrates that there are
limits to what an economy can produce, and choices must be made about what to produce to
maximize societal well-being. It's a useful model for analyzing economic trade-offs and
decision-making.
Assessment questions:
Factors of Production:
Short Answer: Define and explain the roles of each of the four main factors of production
(land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship) in the production of goods and services.
Essay: Discuss how advancements in technology can affect the efficiency of labor as a factor
of production. Provide real-world examples to support your argument.

Critical Thinking: Imagine you are a policymaker in a country with high unemployment.
What policies or strategies could you implement to better utilize the labour force as a factor of
production?
Essay: Explain the concept of a "fixed" factor of production and provide an example. How
does the fixed nature of this factor impact a country's production possibilities?
Production Possibility Curve (PPC):
Short Answer: What does a Production Possibility Curve (PPC) illustrate, and why is it
considered a fundamental concept in economics?
Critical Thinking: If an economy is operating beyond its PPC, what does this indicate, and
what might be the implications for the economy?
Essay: Describe the concept of opportunity cost as it relates to the PPC. Provide an example
of how opportunity cost can help policymakers make decisions about resource allocation.
Short Answer: If a country's PPC is a straight line, what does this imply about the opportunity
cost of producing the two goods represented on the curve?
References:
 Text book: "Economics for the IB Diploma" by Ellie Tragakes
 Explored online resources like Khan Academy, Investopedia, and the IB's official
website.