Chapter 02 – Money and the Payments System
79. Consider the following: there are two countries, A and B. Each country has the same
resources, and produces the same goods. The residents of country A use money; the residents
of country B rely on bartering of goods. Will each country produce the same quantity of
output? Explain.
80. Consider an island where people use sand dollars (shells) as currency. For simplicity,
assume that people consume only one good: fish. Currently, there are 400 sand dollars in
circulation and there are 200 fish purchased each year. Based on this information, what is the
price of fish?
Now, suppose that a change in climate leads to new sand dollars washing ashore, leaving a
total of 500 sand dollars. If there are still 200 fish purchased each year, what is the new price
of fish? In order to prevent inflation, what would have to happen to the amount of fish
purchased each year?