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IAI Actuarial Core Principles · Business Economics · Relationship between economics and business

Which of the following is the best example of a positive (as opposed to normative) economic statement?

The statement that a rise in the repo rate will reduce home loan demand is positive because it is a testable claim about cause and effect. The others contain value judgements about what should or ought to happen.

  1. AIf the repo rate rises by 0.5%, home loan demand will fallCorrect
  2. BThe government should reduce income tax to help families
  3. CInsurance companies ought to charge lower premiums
  4. DInflation is unfairly harming pensioners and must be tackled first
  5. It is better for firms to pay higher wages

Explanation

A positive statement describes cause and effect and can in principle be tested against evidence. The other options contain value judgements such as 'should', 'ought', 'unfairly' or 'better', making them normative.

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