Short-run, long-run, very long-run - Economics Help (2024)

The short run, long run and very long run are different time periods in economics.

Quick definition

  • Very short run – where all factors of production are fixed. (e.g on one particular day, a firm cannot employ more workers or buy more products to sell)
  • Short run – where one factor of production (e.g. capital) is fixed. This is a time period of fewer than four-six months.
  • Long run – where all factors of production of a firm are variable (e.g. a firm can build a bigger factory) A time period of greater than four-six months/one year
  • Very long run – Where all factors of production are variable, and additional factors outside the control of the firm can change, e.g. technology, government policy. A period of several years.

Short-run, long-run, very long-run - Economics Help (1)

More detailed explanation

Very short run (immediate run)

  • At a particular point in time a business may not be able to ask employers to work at short notice or they may not be able to order more stock.
  • In the very short run, the firm can only do things like perhaps changing price, giving special offers or trying to manage exceptional demand by queing system.

Short run

  • In the short run one factor of production is fixed, e.g. capital. This means that if a firm wants to increase output, it could employ more workers, but not increase capital in the short run (it takes time to expand.)
  • Therefore in the short run, we can get diminishing marginal returns, and marginal costs may start to increase quickly.
  • Also, in the short run, we can see prices and wages out of equilibrium, e.g. a sudden rise in demand, may lead to higher prices, but firms don’t have the capacity to respond and increase supply.

Long run

  • The long run is a situation where all main factors of production are variable. The firm has time to build a bigger factory and respond to changes in demand. In the long run:
    • We have time to build a bigger factory.
    • Firms can enter or leave a market.
    • Prices have time to adjust. For example, we may get a temporary surge in prices, but in the long-run, supply will increase to meet it.
    • The long run may be a period greater than six months/year
    • Price elasticity of demand can vary – e.g. over time, people may become more sensitive to price changes, in short run, people keep buying a good they are used to.

Relationship between short-run costs and long-run costs

  • Short-run, long-run, very long-run - Economics Help (2)SRAC = short run average costs
  • LRAC = long run average costs

This shows how a firm’s long-run average costs are influenced by different short-run average costs (SRAC) curves.

The SRAC is u-shaped because of diminishing returns in the short run.

See cost curves

The very long run

  • The very long run is a situation where technology and factors beyond the control of a firm can change significantly, e.g. in the very long run:
    • New technology may make current working processes outdated, e.g. rise of the internet and digital downloads have changed the face of the music industry, making it hard to make a profit from selling singles.
    • Government policy may change, e.g. reducing the power of trades unions has reformed the UK labour market.
    • Social change. For example, the First World War brought more women into the labour market and changed people’s expectations about the jobs women could do.

Short run long run in macroeconomics

We can also see the short run and long run in macroeconomics.

An increase in the money supply can lead to a short term increase in real output – as workers feel they have an increase in real income.

However, in the long-run, the increase in the money supply causes inflation and so workers realise real wages are the same and real output remains unchanged.

  • For example, the difference between short-run aggregate supply and long-run aggregate supply.

Readers Question: what is the difference between short-run and short term?

Not much. If there is a difference, the distinction doesn’t matter at A level. When talking about production, we often refer to the short run and long run. For example:

  • Diminishing returns occurs in the short run. In the short run, we assume capital is fixed. In the long run, the amount of capital is variable.

We may mention short term factors affecting exchange rates or short term factors affecting the economy.

  • For example, an increase in the money supply may cause a short-term increase in real output. However, in the long-term, an increase in the money supply may cause inflation and therefore diminish the increase in real output.
Short-run, long-run, very long-run - Economics Help (2024)

FAQs

Short-run, long-run, very long-run - Economics Help? ›

Short run

Short run
In economics, the long-run is a theoretical concept in which all markets are in equilibrium, and all prices and quantities have fully adjusted and are in equilibrium. The long-run contrasts with the short-run, in which there are some constraints and markets are not fully in equilibrium.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Long_run_and_short_run
– where one factor of production (e.g. capital) is fixed. This is a time period of fewer than four-six months. Very long run – Where all factors of production are variable, and additional factors outside the control of the firm can change, e.g. technology, government policy. A period of several years.

What is a very important difference between the economic short run and the long run? ›

The main difference between long run and short run costs is that there are no fixed factors in the long run; there are both fixed and variable factors in the short run. In the long run the general price level, contractual wages, and expectations adjust fully to the state of the economy.

How do economists define the difference between the short run and the long run? ›

Short-run production has at least one input (cost) factor fixed and unchangeable as a company completes its current contracts. Long-run production is instead focused on changing and mixing inputs (costs) at the end of current supply contracts to maximize profits in the long term. Both are vital to an enduring company.

What is long run and short run a level economics? ›

In the short run, the scale of production is fixed (there is at least one fixed cost). For firms, the quantity of labour might be flexible, whilst the quantity of capital is fixed. In the long run, the scale of production is flexible and can be changed.

What is SRAS and LRAS in economics? ›

The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping while the long-run aggregate supply curve is vertical. The SRAS is upward sloping because of the misperceptions theory, the sticky wages theory, and the sticky prices theory.

What is the short run long run and very long run in economics? ›

Short run – where one factor of production (e.g. capital) is fixed. This is a time period of fewer than four-six months. Very long run – Where all factors of production are variable, and additional factors outside the control of the firm can change, e.g. technology, government policy. A period of several years.

Why are economists concerned with the short run and/or the long run? ›

The distinction between the short run and the long run in macroeconomics is important because many macroeconomic models conclude that the tools of monetary and fiscal policy have real effects on the economy (i.e. affect production and employment) only in the short run and, in the long run, only affect nominal variables ...

What is the difference between achieving short run and long run economic growth? ›

Short-run growth is simply an increase in a country's 'gross domestic product' or 'GDP', whereas long-run growth is an increase in the country's productive capacity.

What is the difference between short run and long run production function in economics? ›

The short-run production function refers to a period where at least one input is fixed, limiting the ability to adjust production levels. In contrast, the long-run production function represents a period where all inputs can be adjusted, allowing for greater flexibility in production choices.

What is the difference between short run and long run consumption function in economics? ›

Explanation: The short run consumption function has a positive intercept and a relatively low marginal propensity to consume (. 6+ or so), while the long run consumption function is essentially proportional to income (as an empirical matter, no significant constant term and a much larger marginal propensity to consume.

What is the relationship between short run and long run cost? ›

In summary, the long-run cost curve reflects both economies and diseconomies of scale, while the short-run cost curve reflects the degree of increasing or decreasing returns to scale. Moreover, both the long-run and short-run cost curves are U-shaped, with the minimum point at the optimal scale of production.

What is the difference between short run and long run economic profit? ›

If profit is negative, there is incentive for firms to exit the market. If profit is zero, there is no incentive to enter or exit. For a competitive market, economic profit can be positive in the short run. In the long run, economic profit must be zero, which is also known as normal profit.

What is the very short run in economics? ›

The very short run is a production time period that is so short that a firm is unable to change the quantities of any input, that is, there are no variable inputs. With no variable inputs, the firm is unable to change the quantity of output. The primary task of the firm is to sell the output that has been produced.

Does productivity affect SRAS or LRAS? ›

Thus, full employment corresponds to a higher level of potential GDP, which we show as a rightward shift in LRAS from LRAS0 to LRAS1 to LRAS2. Shifts in Aggregate Supply (a) The rise in productivity causes the SRAS curve to shift to the right.

What are the factors causing the shift in LRAS? ›

What causes the long run aggregate supply curve to shift? Factors that shift the long-run aggregate supply include labor changes, capital changes, natural resources, and technology changes.

Why is the short run as curve upward sloping? ›

The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping because the quantity supplied increases when the price rises. In the short-run, firms have one fixed factor of production (usually capital ). When the curve shifts outward the output and real GDP increase at a given price.

What is the difference between short and long run economic growth? ›

Short-run growth is simply an increase in a country's 'gross domestic product' or 'GDP', whereas long-run growth is an increase in the country's productive capacity.

What is the difference between the short run and the long run in economics quizlet? ›

in the long run all resources are variable, while in the short run at least one resource is fixed.

What is the difference between in short run and long run costs? ›

In the short run, there are both fixed and variable costs. In the long run, there are no fixed costs. Efficient long run costs are sustained when the combination of outputs that a firm produces results in the desired quantity of the goods at the lowest possible cost.

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