Market economy

Uncommon card · No. 90606

A market economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding investment, production, and commerce (the distribution of goods and services) are guided by price signals resulting from the forces of supply and demand. A key characteristic of a market economy is the presence of factor markets, which play a major role in allocating capital and other factors of production such as labor and land. Market economies exist along a spectrum, ranging from minimally regulated to highly regulated systems. At the least regulated end are free-market and laissez-faire systems, where government involvement is largely limited to providing public goods and services and protecting private property rights. At the other end of the spectrum are interventionist market economies, where governments take a more active role in correcting market failures and promoting social welfare. In state-directed or dirigiste systems, the government guides the broader development of the economy through tools such as industrial...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0