Investment in a Modern Economy

756 Words2 Pages

Identify the key factors that determine the level of investment in a

modern economy and comment on the view that the accelerator model of

investment is too limited to offer a full explanation.

The term ‘investment’ in economics refers to the use of capital to

create productive facilities such as plant and equipment, buildings

and so on. It can also refer to expenditure on ‘human capital’, that

is, investment on education and training as an investment in the

quality of the labour force. Total investment includes spending by

firms and Government on all types of capital goods and makes up about

one-fifth of total spending in an economy.

Investment inevitably requires a sacrifice. Usually the sacrifice is

reduced consumer expenditure in order to free capital resources for

investment today so that output can be higher tomorrow. Investment is

the most volatile element of national expenditure and changes in this

important variable generate, in turn, multiplier effects on the rest

of the economy. It is, perhaps, the single most crucial element in

determining the success of the economy and cyclical instability and

economic growth are thought to be closely related correlated with the

trends in investment expenditure.

First, a firm that plans to invest must assess the cost of capital

(mainly the interest rate) and compare it with the expected return on

the investment. If expected yield exceeds cost, the investment

project may proceed. Since machines and factories generate that yield

over time, it is necessary to calculate the present value of future

flows of revenue in order to produce a fair comparison. In effect, in

assessing the rate of return on additional investment projects, the

firm is determining the marginal efficiency of capital.

Investment will also depend on several other factors. Business

expectations could be crucial; investment opportunities (such as a

major new innovation) will have an important effect; the availability

of investment funds could be significant; and rising income levels

and/or profits will also have an impact on aggregate investment.

Finally, changes in Government policy with respect to investment in

the infrastructure, housing or state industries will affect overall

investment levels in the economy.

The accelerator theory has been used to elaborate on the link between

investment and rising income as noted above. The theory suggests that

the current net level of investment will depend on past changes in

income in the economy. Put simply, It = v (Yt – Yt-1) : where It is

net investment in the current time period and Yt – Yt-1 is the change

in income over the last time period. The term ‘v’ is the accelerator

coefficient which is a constant.

More complex and sophisticated accelerator models can be developed

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