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What is Supply shock?

Supply shock: A sudden event that sharply changes the supply of a good.

Where Supply shock fits

Supply shock is part of Policy & Labor in Economics. Governments steer economies with taxes, spending, subsidies, price ceilings, tariffs and minimum wages. Each policy helps some groups and shifts costs to others.

Practical tip

Ask who benefits, who pays and what behavior changes.

Related terms

Subsidy
Government money that lowers the cost of a product or activity.
Minimum wage
The lowest pay the law allows for work.
Gig economy
Work done through short, flexible jobs rather than permanent roles.
Tariff
A tax on imported goods.
Price ceiling
A legal limit on how high a price can go.
Stagflation
High inflation combined with slow growth and high unemployment.
Fiscal policy
Government spending and taxation choices.
Unemployment rate
The share of the workforce without a job.

Formulas you will use with it

Consumer surplusProducer surplus

Test yourself

Which term means: “A sudden event that sharply changes the supply of a good.”?

Gig economy · Supply shock · Price ceiling

Answer: Supply shock

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