Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Question 2
There are generally three methods used to calculate national income:
Theoretically, all of the three methods will result in the same value of national income, because
must be processed further before use by consumers. Examples of intermediate goods are cocoa
seeds, lumber, palm oil, and iron ore. Final goods are goods that can be immediately used by
consumers without having to be further processes, such as chocolate, furniture, cooking oil, and
clothes.
4. In the calculation of national income through the expenditure method, the value of final goods
must not include the value of intermediate goods.
5. In the calculation of national income using the expenditure method, expenditure is made by the
following sectors:
(a) Expenditure by the household sector for final goods and services. This expenditure is known as
personal or private consumption expenditure (C).
(b) Expenditure by firms and governments to purchase capital for use in productionThis expenditure
is known as investment expenditure (I).
(c) Expenditure by the government sector for final goods and services. This expenditure is known as
government or public expenditure (G).
(d) Expenditure made by residents of a country for goods and services produced by other countries.
This expenditure is known as import expenditure (M). However, the sale of goods and services
produced by residents of one country to abroad is know n as export expenditure (X). Net export is
the net difference between export expenditure and import expenditure.
6. The sum of all types of expenditure made by households, governments, firms, and overseas
sectors w ill result in gross domestic product at market price (GDPmp).
7. Exports cause the inflow of money, while imports cause the outflow of money. Therefore, exports
must be added to the GDP while imports must be subtracted from the GDP.
8. Changes in inventory must be taken into account because inventories are stocks ot unsold goods
that are included in the value of total production for the year.
9. If the value of change in inventory is positive, this value must be added to the GDP. However, if
the value of change in inventory is negative, this value must be subtracted from the GDP.
10. The GDP at factor cost (GDPfc) is calculated by subtracting indirect taxes and adding subsidies
to the GDPmp.
11. The gross national product at factor cost (GDPfc) is obtained by adding the factor income from
abroad and subtracting the factor income spent abroad from the GDPfc.
GDPfc = GDPfc + Factor income from abroad - Factor income spent abroad
12. The net national product at factor cost (NNPfc) is calculated by subtracting depreciation from
the GNPfc.
NNPfc = GNPfc - Depreciation
13. An example of calculation of national income through the expenditure method is depicted in
Table 3.1
5. In a logging activity, the value of logs is equal to the total factor income paid to factors of
production to produce the logs, i.e. RM8000.
6. When logs are processed into sawn logs, many other factors of production must be used. The
total payment to these factors of production is RM2000 (RM10 000 - RM8000). This means that the
added value to produce sawn logs is RM12000.
7. Sawn logs will then be processed into timber. This process will create an added value of
RM6000 (RM16 000 - RM10 000). Finally, timber is processed into furniture, which is a final good
to be used by consumers. This process also creates an added x alue of RM600 (RM22 000 - RM 16
000).
8. The total added value is equal to the value of the final good (furniture), i.e. RM22 000.
9. The total added value for all goods and services produced in an economy is equal to the total
value of final goods in the economy.
10. If the added value method is not used in the calculation of national income using the product
method, the value of intermediate goods will be included in the calculation of the value of final
goods, thus causing the national product to be overvalued. Therefore, the added value method is
used to prevent double counting in the calculation of national product (national income).
11. Using the product method, economic sectors are divided into the following three main sectors:
(a) Agriculture and mining sector; covering agriculture, forestry, fishery, and farming, as well as
mining and quarrying.
(b) Industrial sector covering factories, construction, and utility supply such electricity, gas, and
water.
(c) Services sector; covering transportation, communication, trading, hotel and restaurant, financial
insurance, property, government services, and other services.
12. The total value of final goods and services created by the economic sectors is equal to the gross
domestic product at market price (GDPmp).
13. The GDP at factor cost (GDPfc) is calculated by subtracting indirect taxes and adding subsidies
to the GDPmp.
GNPfc = GDPmp+ Subsidies - Indirect taxes
14. The gross national product (GNP) is calculated by differentiating the products produced by
factors of production owned by citizens of the country that are located abroad from the products
produced by factors of production owned by foreign citizens that are located within this country.
Therefore,
GNPfc = GNPmp + Factor income from abroad - Factor income paid abroad
15. The net national product at factor cost (NNPfc) or national income is generated when
depreciation is subtracted from the GNPfc. NNPfc = GNPfc - Depreciation
16. An example of calculation of national income through the product method is shown in Table 3.3