What is Economic: Definition and 86 Discussions

An economy (from Greek οίκος – "household" and νέμoμαι – "manage") is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services by different agents. In general, it is defined 'as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the production, use, and management of resources'. A given economy is the result of a set of processes that involves its culture, values, education, technological evolution, history, social organization, political structure and legal systems, as well as its geography, natural resource endowment, and ecology, as main factors. These factors give context, content, and set the conditions and parameters in which an economy functions. In other words, the economic domain is a social domain of interrelated human practices and transactions that does not stand alone.
Economic agents can be individuals, businesses, organizations, or governments. Economic transactions occur when two groups or parties agree to the value or price of the transacted good or service, commonly expressed in a certain currency. However, monetary transactions only account for a small part of the economic domain.
Economic activity is spurred by production which uses natural resources, labor and capital. It has changed over time due to technology, innovation (new products, services, processes, expanding markets, diversification of markets, niche markets, increases revenue functions) such as, that which produces intellectual property and changes in industrial relations (most notably child labor being replaced in some parts of the world with universal access to education).
A market-based economy is one where goods and services are produced and exchanged according to demand and supply between participants (economic agents) by barter or a medium of exchange with a credit or debit value accepted within the network, such as a unit of currency. A command-based economy is one where political agents directly control what is produced and how it is sold and distributed. A green economy is low-carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. In a green economy, growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. A gig economy is one in which short-term jobs are assigned or chosen via online platforms. New economy is a term that referred to the whole emerging ecosystem where new standards and practices were introduced, usually as a result of technological innovations. The global economy refers to humanity's economic system or systems overall.

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  1. A

    Oil Prices Rise Despite Economic Woes

    With the economy still in the tank, why are oil prices going back up?
  2. Astronuc

    News Economic Distress Causing Increase in Domestic Violence & Child Abuse

    There have been reports of increased domestic violence and child abuse in parts of the country. Apparent suicides and homicide/suicides which may be related to the economic problems. Police investigating death of Freddie Mac official...
  3. Jeebus

    Economic question based on billionaire's

    If the United States government decided to take half of each billionaires net worth (resided in the US), and allowed them not to pay taxes for the rest of their lifetime. What would do this to the economy? Cripple it? Temporary fix? What? Curious to know.
  4. Loren Booda

    How much is physics involved in our economic crisis?

    Is speculation, using derivative equations adapted from physics, significantly to blame for the present recession?
  5. L

    How to end world economic troubles

    How to end world economic troubles I was just wondering what would happen if all the Governments of the world decided to clear all business and personal debts straight away.That meaning,everyone had every car,mortgage,visa bills are wiped clean and the world starts with a clean slate.Every...
  6. Astronuc

    News Is The Global Economic Crisis Worse Than Expected?

    There is a thread on the US economy, but the problems are globally endemic. All national and regional economies are affected, and the problems undermine security and general welfare. It appears that the global economic crisis realized in 2008 is more severe than expected. Downturn...
  7. baywax

    Is Economic Growth Necessary for a healthy economy?

    Is "Economic Growth" Necessary for a healthy economy?? I've asked a few of the number crunchers I've met if economic growth was necessary for a healthy economy and they can't answer me. I've pointed out that unchecked growth inevitably leads to the destruction of a system as is the case with...
  8. Phrak

    News Put on Your Economic Thinking Caps

    CBS New, Los Angeles, 4:20 AM 1/7/09: "The Federal Reserve announces, the rate of inflation is uncomfortably low." What does this mean? Why was this announced--what is the intent? How does this relate to the last 14 years of economic changes? For those interested in future economic...
  9. Ivan Seeking

    News The up side of economic collapse and terrorism

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a03e5b6-c541-11dd-b516-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1 This is something that Astro and I were talking about recently. I suspect that one ramification of the current economic crisis is that nations are being forced to work together in ways that we've never seen on...
  10. G

    Economic Apocalipse blamed on math and physics

    (actual headline may differ) After the Crash: How Software Models Doomed the Markets Overreliance on financial software crafted by physics and math PhDs helped to precipitate the Wall Street collapse http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=after-the-crash
  11. A

    News Bush's failed economic policies ?

    Bush's "failed economic policies"? I keep hearing about these "failed economic policies". Anyone have any idea what specific Bush economic policies they're talking about?
  12. G

    How are you preparing for the worst economic recession in 30 years?

    With unemployment fore casted to hit 8% or higher by next year? How are you going to prepare for the strong possibility that you might get the pink slip and see your 401 k(s) become completely worthless?
  13. Astronuc

    News What steps are needed for global economic recovery?

    There are threads about 'What's wrong with the US economy", but I thought it would be interesting and worthwhile to look at what's going on with various economies around the world. For example - Iceland's economy crashed. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/world/europe/09iceland.html How...
  14. C

    Could a Make-Believe WWIII Solve Today's Economic Crisis?

    Economic Crisis and WWIII I have often read statements that indicate that the Great Depression was ended as a result of WWII. By going to war, it is said, we managed to cure the greatest economic crisis in American history. It is said that today’s economic crisis might to be as bad as the...
  15. C

    Economic Crisis: The Double Fallacy

    Economic Crisis: The Double Fallacy 1) The ideologist “reduces the social relations to personal qualities, and then uses the latter to justify the former.” 2) The ideologist “mistakes the appearance for reality. He so analyses the social relations that the rich and poor appear vastly...
  16. D

    MATLAB Constructing Economic Hybrid Truck in Advisor 3.2"

    hey, I hope i post this in the right section of the forum. I'm working on my thesis and i need to construct an economic hyrbid truck. The program I'm using for that is advisor 3.2, it is a program that simulates the truck. My problem is that i need to add ultra-capacitors and batterys...
  17. edward

    Cash Your Economic Stimulus Check At Walmart

    Food stores lure stimulus money with varied incentives No bank account needed at walmart http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/biz-topheadlines/240494.php With the cost of food going up apparently a basket full of food is now considered a big ticket item. And remember that the prepaid Visa...
  18. S

    Math/ Economic brain teaser - due to the credit crisis

    Can anyone sense a way to solve this. It would be great help to see your reasoning behind your assumptions. As a result of the credit crisis there are many asymetries in the loan market as a reult this set of question have arisen: Information - take this as true There are two types of...
  19. E

    Economic (Mis)Education in Europe

    Wow! I guess I didn't know how economically illiterate they are in Europe, until I read this article: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4095 I guess I can't blame them, when the public schools are teaching this unsubstantiated garbage.
  20. W

    News Scary economic analysis from Spiegel

    The German magazine Spiegel isn't too Bullish on the World Economy: http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,520700-7,00.html I wonder what the people on Physicsforums thinks of this article?
  21. J

    Economic crash : who wins , who looses

    hey was wondering when there's an economic crash, like the wall street crash who looses money , that's the most evident, the actioneers but who wins money ? because in a logic, if one person looses money, someone must be gaining money unless if a crash causes a decrease of the total world...
  22. Astronuc

    News Sustainability and Sustainable Economic Development

    There's got to be a better way. http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/sustainability/ How about some positive news for a change? :smile:
  23. Astronuc

    News Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic

    Norman R. Augustine, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation Chair, Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy Division on Policy and Global Affairs The National Academies...
  24. wasteofo2

    Is the Demand Curve for Heroin Uniquely Elastic?

    What would you assume the shape of the demand curve for a drug like heroin would be? Certainly the demand for an addictive drug like that would be inelastic as a whole. However, it seems to me that beyond the market value that has been settled at, that the elasticity of demand would increase...
  25. wasteofo2

    News I'm no Keynes, but Germany seems to have illogical economic goals

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4449662.stm I'm a teenager. There's obviously many things I don't know. Perhaps there are some principals involved with this that I'm not aware of. However, this seems rather opposed to almost everything I've heard about economics. Obviously, the two...
  26. S

    Mixed Economy: The Benefits of Galbraith's Approach

    I'm writing an economics essay, and I'm essentially trying to support the ideal economy. My choices are more government involvement (socialism - keynnes), less government involvement (Capitalism - friedman), and a mixed economy (Galbraith). I'm trying to support a mixed economy. But i just...
  27. D

    News Economic Systems: Probing the Debate of Communism vs. Socialism

    I've researched a little about Marxism, and I've found that Karl Marx was a brilliant philosopher; however, I've never heard anyone commend communism. Despite this, why is communism deemed an inappropriate economic system? I've heard the argument of greed being unstoppable, but didn't Marx...
  28. SOS2008

    News Investor Worries: Energy Prices, Dollar Value, Jobs Outsourcing

    I wasn't sure if this should be posted in Economics under Social Sciences, however in reading this, I wondered what PF members think regarding these economic issues: More stats to follow later...
  29. P

    News Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

    I've been hearing a lot about this book lately and apparently it has topped the NYT's best seller list. Having looked into some interviews I decided it was a a good idea to pass it along and see what kind of feedback the forum would give. Here is a quote from the author's site: The rest...
  30. A

    News Piracy killing US economic growth?

    Very interesting about the highly organized distribution of pirated material on the internet. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/topsite.html http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/01/03/online.underground.ap/index.html It is strange that the FBI have not been able to shut down the...
  31. hitssquad

    Unlock Economic Success: National IQ, Liberality, and Optomism

    Lynn and Vanhanen presented the alternative case that that variances between nations in economic success can be positively explained by variances between nations in: National IQ Economic liberality and, Political liberality ...in that order: We also measured the significance of...
  32. G

    News Scary as hell: the looming economic disaster

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-10-03-debt-cover_x.htm
  33. J

    News Socialism/Communism is a political or economic theory

    With all the debate recently for amending the United States Constitution in favor of recognizing marriage as a union between a man and woman, perhaps a more appropriate amendment should guarantee each citizen of the United States the right to food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Poverty is...
  34. Z

    News Is Economic Equality Achievable in Today's Society?

    Hmmmm...ran across this phrase in the political poll that kat posted. I don't think that is an unworthy goal, does anyone else? I don't mean that we should all have exactly teh same amount of money and possesions, but just the idea that if you work 40-50 hours a week, you should get paid enough...
  35. R

    Moral Universalism and Economic Triage by Richard Rorty

    "Moral Universalism and Economic Triage" by Richard Rorty "Who are we?" is quite different from the traditional philosophical question "what are we?". The latter is synonymous with Kant's questions, "What is Man?". Both mean something like "how does the human species differ from the rest of the...
  36. A

    News War bringing economic chaos to states.

    NYs Mayor Bloomberg quiped "...if the troops in Iraq received as much fed aid as NY, they would be conducting the war with bows and arrows." Too many states in the throes of severe economic troubles are forced to pay for much increased security without the help of federal funds that was...
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