what is economics

2024年3月19日发(作者：比亚迪新能源汽车宋pro价格)

What Is Economics?

There is no single adequate definition of what economics actually is, and the

old joke that “economics is what economists do” is hardly helpful. A famous

economist of the past, Alfred Marshall (1842—1924), said:

Economics is the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it

examines that part of individual and social action which is most closely

connected with the attainment and with the use of the material requisites of

well-being.

Economics has also been defined as the study of decision-making; decisions

which involve choosing between alternatives in the related activities of earning,

spending, producing and consuming, all with the object of achieving material

well-being.

In short , economics is, like sociology, law and politics, a study of one aspect of

human behavior. It is important and relevant to all of us because it is concerned

with such everyday activities as buying things, getting a job, using a bank and

paying tax. Economics is concerned with people\'s wants, in particular their material

wants, and how they can be satisfied.

Economics is often thought of as a science. However, it is very inexact science

because it is a social science, and is affected by many influences that lead to

incessant change. Human behavior cannot be examined with the same precision

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with which a natural scientist can examine laboratory specimens. The social

sciences, which include econnomics, psychology, sociology and political behavior,

can never be exact sciences since human behavior is extremely difficult to test or

measure. Much economic behavior is based on what is known as a value

judgment ,which means it is based on the personal values of individuals and so

cannot be verified in a factual way. Economics is a living subject, which is

constantly developing and it affects us all.

To understand the society in which we live, we must be informed about what is

going on in our society and what issues are. As consumers we are interested in the

goods and services which we buy and how much they cost us, and we are

interested in the incomes we can earn. We spend a great deal of time thinking

about the money we earn and the money we need. Workers are concerned with

the availability of jobs, wages and working conditions. Business people are

interested in the sale of their goods and the costs involved in the production of

them. Everyone is affected by depression, inflation, unemployment and

government policies.

A knowledge of economics will allow us to analyze and assess the values of

policies and decisions made by politicians. And it will help us to become more

aware of the current and future problems of our society and therefore better able

to cope with them. We are all consumers and most of us read the newspapers, so it

is up to us to understand what is going our own personal decisions are

often affected by the state of the economy, so we could make better choices if we

understood the way the economy economy is often affected by

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factors such as the use of technology, the actions of the government, industrial

relations, and overseas trade. All of these influcences result in constant change.

Prices seem to rise constantly. Some jobs are no longer available, while new types

of jobs appear. Changes in employment and prices affect almost everyone.

Employment and the types of jobs available are all part of the economic

pattern. Some jobs may involve extreme specialization, such as making just a small

part of something; others demand professional skills. All of these activities enable

us to have a variety of goods and services. But while economic activities satisfy our

wants, there are also economic problerms to be faced. The economic system is

made up of human beings and so human behavior is crucial to the system. The

principles and motives from which people act are not necessarily economic in

origin, and are often based on non-economic values. Differing values and social

forces have led to countries developing different economic systems, but all

countries face the same economic problems—such as whether they are producing

the right things and by the best methods, how wants are to be satisfied, and

whose wants are to be satisfied.

Economics is a study of living and working in society; but not all societies

behave in the same way.

In order to produce the things people want there must be some kind of

organization. An economic system is made up of the collection of relationships,

customs, institutions, laws and arrangements that are combined to satisfy the

economic wants of the community—to determine what and how production takes

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place, and who receives the output. Naturally it depends on the participation of

the members of the community. An economic system is not just an abstraction; it

is the real world.

In one sense the economic system of a society does grow or, rather, develop,

because the type of system a country has depended on its historical background

and its political forces. A nation’s history and political tradition are important in

shaping its economic goals and methods, and its basic economic institutions. The

values and beliefs held by the members of the society are also influential.

The job of an economic system is to form a framework of orgnization which

enables choices and decisions to be made on how to satisfy the wants of the

community. The way it does this depends largely on the type of society. In the USA

there is still a belief in the value of free enterprise and the ability of individuals to

succeed if they work hard enough. In some countries, such as England and

possibly Sweden, there is a belief in the welfare state, that it is up to the

government to look after the citizens from the cradle to the grave, although there

have been criticisms of this approach because of cost. Countries like Australia

seem to represent a mixture of both these attitudes.

National characteristics and belief systems have led to many differences

between economic systems. It cannot be said that just because two countries have

the same political governments, they will run their economics in the same way. It is

not easy to compare one economy with another and say that one is better or

worse—there is too much diversity, and adequate measurement is impossible. One

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can, however, say that the standard of living is better in one economy than in

another. Or one can compare such things as the level of unemplyment or the

stability of prices. But these single measures cannot show a true or complete

picture of an economy.

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