The invisible hand is a concept that – even without any observable intervention – free markets will determine an equilibrium in the supply and demand for goods. The invisible hand means that by following their self-interest – consumers and firms can create an efficient allocation of resources for the whole of society. How does the …
The main sectors of the economy are: Primary sector – extraction of raw materials – mining, fishing and agriculture. Secondary / manufacturing sector – concerned with producing finished goods, e.g. Construction sector, manufacturing and utilities, e.g. electricity. Service / ‘tertiary’ sector – concerned with offering intangible goods and services to consumers. This includes retail, tourism, …
GDP measures gross domestic product. It is a measure of a nations economic output/income/expenditure. GDP is an excellent guide to the total number of marketable goods and services produced and consumed in an economy. It is a useful economic statistic – especially for managing the economic cycle, but has often become a short-hand for economic …
Readers Question: Is education a consumption good or investment good? And why I would say education can be both a consumption good and an investment good. Consumption is defined as spending money on a good or service for the acquisition of utility. Investment is defined as spending money on a good or service for the …
At the start of the academic year, I always feel a little pressure to justify the study of economics. Students come up asking things like, should they do economics or history? It’s hard to know what to say, but to get people excited about economics it’s good to try and think how economics can be …
Economics is a broad subject concerned with the optimal distribution of resources in society. Within the subject, there are several different branches which focus on different aspects. Also, there are different schools of thought which generally have different views on aspects of economics. The first way to split economics is microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics – …
One of the main issues in economics is the extent to which the government should intervene in the economy. Free market economists argue that government intervention should be strictly limited as government intervention tends to cause an inefficient allocation of resources. However, others argue there is a strong case for government intervention in different fields, …
To what extent does an increase in profit lead to an increase in economic welfare? In summary. Higher profit enables firms to invest in more research and development, leading to better products in the long-term. Higher profit also acts as a signal to other entrepreneurs to increase investment in that industry. However, others are concerned …