Basic questions of economics. The main questions of the economic system The questions of what how to produce for whom are decided

The economic system is a form of organization of the economic life of society.

Elements of the economic system:

    Socio-economic relations. They are based on the forms of ownership of economic resources that have developed in each economic system.

    Organizational forms of economic activity (natural economy, commodity economy, etc.).

    The economic mechanism is a way of regulating economic activity at the macroeconomic level, as well as a system of incentives and motivations that guide the participants in economic life.

    Specific economic ties between enterprises and organizations.

In any economic system, the economy solves 3 main questions:

    What to produce?(That is, what goods and services, in what quantity, by what date).

    How to produce?(What resources to use, in what enterprises, with the help of what technology, etc.).

    For whom to produce?(That is, the target group of consumers).

Question 4. The main types of economic systems and their characteristics.

Economic systems differ in:

    The way to solve the main economic issues.

    By type of ownership of the most important types of resources.

In terms of these criteria, the following types of economic systems are distinguished:

    traditional system.

These economic systems existed mainly in the early periods of human history. The main economic questions were decided on the basis of instinct. Now these systems are much less common (in the most remote areas of the world, in economically underdeveloped countries).

Traditions, customs, heredity, class, rituals determine what, how and for whom to produce. Consequently, this economic system is based on backward technology, widespread manual labor. Small-scale production is of great importance. It is based on private ownership of productive resources and the personal labor of their owner. Small-scale production is represented by numerous peasant and handicraft farms that dominate the economy. The role of the state is active - providing social support to the poorest segments of the population. The natural-communal form of management prevails.

    Administrative command system.

The state plays the main role in this system. It is it that decides what, how and for whom to produce with the help of central planning and management.

Character traits:

    Public ownership of all economic resources, monopolization of the economy.

    The coordination of economic activity is carried out on the basis of a hierarchy, that is, an administrative method of subordination to a higher authority.

    The economy is managed from a single center with the help of orders, direct commands.

    From the center, instructions are given: what, how and for whom to produce, where to supply products, in what quantity, at what price. Consequently, the center must know in advance and determine all needs, all resources. On this basis, a directive plan for the development of the economy for a certain period of time is drawn up. Each employee is given specific tasks, and their implementation is strictly controlled.

    Giant monopolies do not care about the introduction of new equipment and technology.

    A significant part of the resources is directed to the development of the military-industrial complex.

Country examples: USSR, countries of Eastern Europe.

Practice has shown that such a system can be effective in extreme conditions, in emergency circumstances (war). However, in the long run, in a normal socio-political and economic environment, it cannot be effective. Consequences: loss of moral and material incentives to work, loss of a person's sense of the owner, equalization in pay, hence, a decline in production. The economy becomes inefficient.

    Market system.

The market is a mechanism of interaction between sellers and producers, the balance of supply and demand.

Question "what to produce?" the consumer decides.

Question "how to produce?" decided by the manufacturer. Under the pressure of competition, manufacturers are trying to innovate so as not to go broke in order to reduce their costs.

Question "for whom to produce?"- in the market system, for those who have money.

Thus, in a market system, the main means of coordinating economic activity is commodity-money relations and competition. Private property prevails. This is a very rigid system. You have to pay for mistakes with a "ruble", since miscalculations lead to losses, ruin, bankruptcies. This system is based on the principle of economic feasibility, that is, on the desire to achieve maximum results at minimum cost. In a competitive environment, every entrepreneur is trying to produce a better product, which means he is striving to introduce new equipment and technologies. All this contributes to the NTP.

However, this is not a perfect system and it has many shortcomings. As a result of competition, some are ruined and others are enriched, therefore, the property stratification of society is growing. Social guarantees are minimal, since the state plays a small role, being only an arbitrator who monitors the implementation of laws. Thus, high efficiency is combined with a violation of the principles of equality and social justice.

    mixed system.

It should be borne in mind that in real life there is no market economy in its pure form. It exists only in theory. In real life, the modern economic systems of most developed countries are mixed.

The main feature of a mixed economy is that both the state and the private sector play an important role in answering the questions: What? How? For whom to produce?

Planned methods are quite widespread in it: plans for the development of individual firms based on marketing research, specific government intervention. The plans of different economic levels affect the structure and quantity of products produced, ensuring their greater compliance with social needs.

The task of using resources is solved within the framework of large companies also on the basis of an analysis of promising industries.

Thus, the state in a mixed economy acts in many areas (including the financing of new, low-profit industries, retraining of personnel, the development of medicine, social protection), exerting an impact on the economy, which increases dramatically during periods of crisis.

However, the market mechanism continues to play the main role in answering the classic trio of questions.

Farm organization models:

American model- This is a liberal market-capitalist model, which assumes the priority role of private property, a market-competitive mechanism, as well as a high level of social differentiation.

German model- a model of a social market economy, which links the expansion of competitive principles with the creation of a special social infrastructure that alleviates the shortcomings of the market and capital.

Swedish model- This is a social model, which is characterized by a high level of social guarantees based on a wide redistribution of income.

Japanese model- a model of regulated corporate capitalism, in which favorable opportunities for capital accumulation are combined with the active role of state regulation in the areas of programming economic development, investment and foreign economic policy, and with a special social significance of the in-house principle.

At all historical stages of human development, society faces the same question: what, for whom and in what quantities to produce, taking into account the limited resources. The economic system and types of economic systems are designed to solve this problem. And each of these systems does it in its own way, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The concept of an economic system

An economic system is a system of all economic processes and production relations that has developed in a particular society. This concept is understood as an algorithm, a way of organizing the production life of society, which implies the existence of stable ties between producers, on the one hand, and consumers, on the other.

The main processes in any economic system are the following:


Production in any of the existing economic systems is carried out on the basis of appropriate resources. some elements are still different in different systems. We are talking about the nature of the mechanisms of management, the motivation of producers, etc.

Economic system and types of economic systems

An important point in the analysis of any phenomenon or concept is its typology.

The characteristic of types of economic systems, in general, is reduced to the analysis of five main parameters for comparison. This:

  • technical and economic parameters;
  • ratio of the share of state planning and market regulation of the system;
  • relations in the sphere of property;
  • social parameters (real income, amount of free time, labor protection, etc.);
  • mechanisms of the system functioning.

Based on this, modern economists distinguish four main types of economic systems:

  1. Traditional
  2. Command planning
  3. Market (capitalism)
  4. Mixed

Let us consider in more detail how all these types differ from each other.

Traditional economic system

This economic system is characterized by gathering, hunting and low-productive farming based on extensive methods, manual labor and primitive technologies. Trade is poorly developed or not developed at all.

Perhaps the only advantage of such an economic system is the weak (almost zero) and minimal anthropogenic pressure on nature.

Command-planned economic system

A planned (or centralized) economy is a historical type of management. Nowadays, it is not found anywhere in its pure form. Previously, it was characteristic of the Soviet Union, as well as some countries of Europe and Asia.

Today, more often they talk about the shortcomings of this economic system, among which it is worth mentioning:

  • lack of freedom for producers (commands "what and in what quantities" to produce were sent from above);
  • dissatisfaction with a large number of economic needs of consumers;
  • chronic shortage of certain goods;
  • occurrence (as a natural reaction to the previous paragraph);
  • the inability to quickly and effectively introduce the latest achievements of scientific and technological progress (due to which the planned economy always remains one step behind the rest of the global market competitors).

However, this economic system also had its advantages. One of them was the possibility of ensuring social stability for everyone.

Market economic system

The market is a complex and multifaceted economic system that is typical for most countries in the modern world. Also known by another name: "capitalism". The fundamental principles of this system are the principle of individualism, free enterprise and healthy market competition based on the balance of supply and demand. Private property dominates here, and the desire for profit is the main incentive for production activity.

However, such an economy is far from ideal. The market type of economic system also has its drawbacks:

  • uneven distribution of income;
  • social inequality and social vulnerability of certain categories of citizens;
  • instability of the system, which manifests itself in the form of periodic acute crises in the economy;
  • predatory, barbaric use of natural resources;
  • weak funding for education, science and other non-profit programs.

In addition, a fourth type is also distinguished - a mixed type of economic system, in which both the state and the private sector have an equal weight. In such systems, the functions of the state in the country's economy are reduced to supporting important (but unprofitable) enterprises, financing science and culture, controlling unemployment, etc.

Economic system and systems: examples of countries

It remains to consider examples for which this or that economic system is characteristic. For this, a special table is presented below. The types of economic systems are presented in it taking into account the geography of their distribution. It is worth noting that this table is very subjective, since for many modern states it can be difficult to unambiguously assess which of the systems they belong to.

What type of economic system is in Russia? In particular, Moscow State University professor A. Buzgalin described the modern Russian economy as a "mutation of late capitalism." In general, the country's economic system is considered today to be transitional, with an actively developing market.

Finally

Each economic system responds differently to the three "what, how and for whom to produce?" Modern economists distinguish four main types: traditional, command-and-plan, market, and mixed systems.

Speaking about Russia, we can say that in this state a specific type of economic system has not yet settled down. The country is in transition between a command economy and a modern market economy.

1. The main questions of the economy

Each society, faced with the problem of limited available resources with an unlimited growth of needs, makes its own choice and answers the three basic questions of the economy in its own way.

What to produce? How to prioritize the satisfaction of needs, what goods and in what quantity should be produced?

How to produce? How to make the most efficient use of available resources, what kind of resources to attract, how to organize production?

For whom to produce? How to distribute the produced goods, who will receive them and on the basis of what principles?

Depending on how society answers the main questions of the economy, certain types of economic systems are formed: traditional, market, centralized.

The economic system is a way of organizing the joint activities of people in society. The concept of an economic system includes such decision-making mechanisms as the legislative system, forms of ownership, moral standards, habits, customs adopted in a given society.

2. Types of economic systems

Under the conditions of the traditional economic system, the three basic questions of the economy (what to produce? how to produce? for whom to produce?) are resolved in accordance with established traditions. Examples of observed traditions in the economy are: customary farming methods, norms for the consumption of certain products, religious prohibitions on the production and consumption of specific goods, etc. Sales and purchase relations are poorly developed, agriculture prevails.

Most of the history of human development took place within the framework of the traditional economic system.

О Recall from the course of general history what forms of social

development corresponds to the traditional economic system.

The main stimulus for economic activity in the traditional system is the desire to survive. The advantages of this system are predictability and stability. Serious shortcomings include a low standard of living, lack of progress, and economic growth.

The centralized system, which is also called planning, administrative, command, is characterized by the fact that state ownership is the main form of ownership. Three main issues are decided by the central state bodies. These decisions are reflected in state plans and take the form of directives (orders) that are binding on all enterprises. Centralized regulation is carried out not only in the sphere of production of goods, but also in the sphere of their distribution. Such an economic system was implemented in the Soviet Union and, to some extent, in the countries of the socialist community. The centralized solution of the main issues of the economy in the USSR made it possible to achieve success in the natural sciences, space exploration, ensure the country's defense capability, create powerful systems of social protection, etc.

However, the command-administrative economic system of the USSR was unable to ensure the development of personal initiative. One of the principles of the command economy is the principle of egalitarian distribution. If the enterprise managed to get a big profit, then almost all of it was withdrawn and transferred to the state budget.

The workers received almost the same wages, the encouragement for highly skilled, creative work was insignificant and had not so much a material as a moral basis. All this gave rise to the disinterest of the enterprise in improving production technology, increasing productivity, and the lack of personal interest of people in the results of their work. Gradually, the backlog of the USSR in terms of the most important socio-economic indicators from the leading powers of the world community began to increase. The suppression of the economic independence of economic entities led to a deterioration in the quality of economic growth and its slowdown. There was a need for a radical reform of the economic system.

Market system. In a market system, the role of government is limited. The main subjects of market relations are economically independent participants in economic activity: citizens and firms. Their interaction takes place in the market. A market is any form of contact between sellers and buyers, on the basis of which purchase and sale transactions are made. There are many types of markets, they are classified according to the economic purpose of objects, by geographical location, by industry.


Markets are in constant interaction, forming a single complex system.

The basis of the market mechanism is individual freedom in making and implementing economic decisions. Entrepreneurs, owners of resources and consumers enjoy freedom of choice in a market economy.

Enterprises have the right to acquire factors of production at their own discretion, to produce those goods and services that they consider necessary, to choose the method of their production; while decisions are made at their own expense, at their own risk.

Resource owners can use resources however they see fit. This also applies to the owners of labor resources, they can do any kind of work that they are capable of.

Consumers can buy the goods and services they want within the limits of their income. In a market economy, the consumer occupies a special position, it is he who decides what the economy should produce; if the consumer does not want to buy goods and services, firms will go bankrupt.

The main form of ownership of the factors of production is private. Private property assigns to a person the right to own, use and dispose of economic goods or resources.

Remember from the social studies course what property is.

The main issues of the economy in a competitive environment are resolved on the basis of a system of free prices under the influence of market information.

The question "what to produce?" is decided by firms taking into account consumer demand.

The question "how to produce?" is decided by firms taking into account the motive of profitability, i.e., firms choose the most efficient method of production.

The question "for whom to produce?" is decided in accordance with the solvency of buyers.

The main incentive for the activities of enterprises in a market system is profit. The advantages of a market economy are more efficient use of resources, system mobility, its ability to adapt to changes, and the introduction of new technologies. But the market system has a number of shortcomings, the so-called "failures" of the market, which we will discuss below.



All types of economic systems can be represented in the form of a diagram.

In real life, all countries have a mixed economic system that combines the features of other systems: traditional, centralized and market. Depending on their predominance, a mixed economy of a traditional, centralized or market type is distinguished.

3. Mixed economic system

In a market economy, problems arise that the market system is not able to solve. Such cases of market failure are: inflation, unemployment, the emergence of monopolies, the cyclical nature of economic development, the uneven distribution of citizens' incomes.


In a market system, there is also a need for the production of public goods. Public goods are economic goods, the use of which by some members of society does not exclude the possibility of their simultaneous use by other members of society. These include, for example, national defense, fire protection, elimination of the consequences of emergency events (earthquakes, floods), state television and radio broadcasting, etc. Public goods differ from private goods that have a private seller and a private buyer, such properties as non-excludability and non-profitability. Non-competitiveness means that goods and services can be

used by many people at the same time; at the same time, the amount of goods available to the rest does not decrease (for example: lighthouse, fireworks). Non-excludability is the impossibility of excluding from the use of these services those who do not pay for them, the so-called “hare effect”, for example, national defense or street lighting. Hence the unprofitability of public goods, the unattractiveness of their production for commercial firms (for example: firefighters, emergency services.



In addition, the market is unable to solve the problem of externalities. Externalities are positive or negative effects on those who are not involved in the production or consumption of a given good.

Examples of positive externalities: a free bus to the supermarket for local residents, a good road to a wealthy mansion for everyone who will use this stretch of road.

Examples of a negative externality: environmental pollution by the enterprise, smoking in public places, etc.

Both positive and negative externalities reduce the efficiency of resource use, since in both cases the price of the good is understated. At the same time, the quantity of goods sold is artificially low in the case of a positive externality and unjustifiably high in the case of a negative externality. In the topic of market equilibrium, we will return to this issue and analyze specific situations with externalities.

The presence of "failures" of the market necessitates the intervention of the state and the formation of a mixed economic system. In mixed

system, private and public organizations jointly exercise economic control.

At present, a mixed market-type economy has developed in Russia.

The three main economic questions are:

What to produce?

How to produce?

For whom to produce?

Depending on how society answers the main questions, a certain type of economic system is formed: traditional, command or market.

The presence of market failures necessitates government intervention and the formation of a mixed system.

Basic concepts

Economic system Main questions of economics Traditional system Centralized system Market system Market

Private property Mixed system "Failures" of the market.

public goods

External effects

Questions and tasks

1. What is an economic system?

2. Name the three main questions of the economy. Why does every society have to deal with these issues?

3. How are the main issues solved in the traditional system?

4. What form of ownership is the main one in a centralized system, and which - in a market system?

5. What makes firms produce quality goods in a market economy? Explain why.

6. Give examples of "failures" of the market.

7. What characterizes the modern economy in Russia as a mixed market economy?

8. What are public goods and services? Why don't firms produce them?

9. "Either power or the ruble - there has been and is no other choice in the economy from the century, from Adam to the present day." How do you understand this statement by N. Shmelev?

The main economic task is to choose the most efficient way of distributing factors of production in order to solve the problem of limited resources and limitless human desires. This position is reflected in the formulation of three basic questions of economics.

1. What to produce, i.e. which of the possible goods and services should be produced in a given economic space at a given time;

2. How to produce, i.e. at what combination of resources, and with what technology the goods will be produced;

3. For whom to produce, i.e. who will pay for these goods and services, who will extract useful properties from them, and how society's income will be distributed.

At solving the question "what to produce?" use the production possibilities curve.

Production Possibility Curve (transformation curve) - this is a graphical representation of various combinations of production of goods with the maximum use of available resources and the existing level of technology.

Consider an example:

Having depicted the data on the graph, we get the production possibilities curve (Fig. 1).

Rice. one. Production Possibility Curve

The graph shows a production possibilities curve, each point of which represents the quantity of a good. X produced with the full use of all available resources, instead of goods Y . points A, E And F represent the production possibilities of society in the production of goods X And Y . Dot B shows that production is organized inefficiently and there are unused resources, such as labor. points C And D show a level of production that is unattainable with this technology. Such "super-efficiency" in conditions of limited resources is possible only with the improvement of technology.

This example illustrates the concept of opportunity cost. Opportunity cost a good or service is the value measured in terms of the lost opportunity to engage in the best available alternative activity that requires the same time or the same resources.

Opportunity cost is equivalent to the following concepts: replacement price, opportunity cost, opportunity cost, opportunity cost, lost profit, cost of the most preferred option.

Product opportunity cost X calculated by the formula:

AI X =,

where is the reduction in product output At , a - increase in product output X .


If Y(X) is the equation of the production possibilities frontier, then the opportunity cost of the product X are equal to the modulus of the value of the derivative of this function. The opportunity cost of a product is defined similarly. At .

The shape of the production possibilities curve is related to the influence of the economic law of increasing opportunity costs with an increase in the production of a good or service.

Law of Rising Opportunity Costs states that as the economy produces more of a given product, the opportunity cost of producing an additional unit, expressed in terms of the ability to produce other products, increases.

Solving the question "how to produce?" associated with the choice of a particular technology and the necessary resources. The production process is seen as the transformation of resources into products. The technological dependence between the resource cost structure and the maximum possible output is expressed using the production function.

production function- the relationship between a given volume of production and the costs of production factors.

Depending on resource prices and technologies used, producers choose different combinations of resources. Finding the cheapest way to create a product is an important part of their business. This problem is also facing the entire economy, since the efficiency of the national economy largely depends on its solution.

A key consideration in deciding how to produce is allocative efficiency or Pareto efficiency.

Efficiency Pareto- this is a level of organization of the economy at which society extracts the maximum utility from available resources and technologies, and it is no longer possible to increase someone's share in the result without reducing the other . When efficiency is achieved, more of the good can be produced at the cost of losing the ability to produce something else if the factors of production and knowledge are unchanged. However, the efficiency of production can be increased by improving the social division of labor. Its important characteristics are specialization and cooperation, allowing to take into account comparative advantages in the production of goods.

Comparative advantage The ability to produce a good or service at a relatively lower opportunity cost.

The third key question of the economy is the distribution of the produced product among the members of society. It can be seen both in terms of efficiency and in terms of fairness.

Efficiency in distribution- a situation in which it is impossible, by redistributing the existing amount of goods, to satisfy the desire of one person more fully, without thereby damaging the satisfaction of the desires of another person .

Fairness in distribution interpreted differently.

Let's highlight three concepts:

1. Equal distribution;

2. Distribution based on the principle "according to work";

3. Distribution depending on the contribution to the production of economic resources (for example, in proportion to the labor and capital invested in the business).

The questions of what, how and for whom to produce are basic and common for all types of farms, but different economic systems solve them in their own way.

economic system

economic system(English) economic system) - the totality of all economic processes taking place in society on the basis of the property relations and economic mechanism that have developed in it. In any economic system, the primary role is played by production in conjunction with distribution, exchange, and consumption. In all economic systems, economic resources are required for production, and the results of economic activity are distributed, exchanged and consumed. At the same time, there are also elements in economic systems that distinguish them from each other:

  • socio-economic relations;
  • organizational and legal forms of economic activity;
  • economic mechanism;
  • system of incentives and motivations for participants;
  • economic relations between enterprises and organizations.

The main types of economic systems are listed below.

The economic system in different scientific schools

The concept of an economic system (its content, elements and structure) depends on the economic school. In the neoclassical paradigm, the description of the economic system is revealed through micro- and macroeconomic concepts. The neoclassical subject is defined as the study of the behavior of people who maximize their utility in an environment of limited resources with unlimited needs. The main elements are: firms, households, state.

Economic systems are also studied from the point of view of other theoretical schools directly related to economic theory. From the point of view of researchers of the modern post-industrial society, the post-industrial economy (neo-economics, "information society" or "knowledge society") is born as a special technological order that significantly modifies economic and social systems as a whole. In the “development economics” paradigm, a special group of “third world” countries stands out, where there are a number of important patterns: institutional structure, macroeconomic dynamics, and a special model. Thus, development economics considers a class of special economic systems. In contrast to the dominant concepts of neoclassicism and neoinstitutionalism, the historical school emphasizes the historically established differences in national economic systems.

Parameters for comparing economic systems

Technical-economic and post-economic parameters

Economic systems are studied from the point of view of technological structures. In terms of structure, these are: pre-industrial economic systems, industrial and post-industrial economic systems. An important parameter for post-industrial systems is the degree of development of creative activity and its role in the economy. To measure it, measurable parameters of the level of education are usually used, for example, the proportion of people with higher education, the structure of professional employment, etc. The most important characteristic is the assessment in the economic system of a measure to solve environmental problems. Demographic parameters allow answering questions related to the approach of the economic system to a post-industrial society, and these parameters are directly related to: life expectancy, infant mortality, morbidity, and other parameters of the nation's health. The share of post-industrial technologies is usually calculated by the share of people employed in the production of various industries in the total GDP.

The ratio of the plan and the market (resource allocation)

These parameters are especially relevant for countries with economies in transition. A description is given of the mechanisms of state planning of the economy, the development of commodity-money relations, measures for the development of natural economy, a measure of the development of the shadow economy. Characteristics of market development: a measure of the development of market institutions, a measure of market self-organization (competition), market saturation (no shortage), market structure. Regulatory development measures: antimonopoly regulation; a measure of the development of state regulation (selective regulation, countercyclical regulation, programming); a measure of the development of regulation by public associations. A more detailed study of the role of the state in the economy is carried out in the theory of public choice, which considers the decision-making process of the government, the system of social contract (constitutional economics), and so on. .

Ownership comparison options

When analyzing economic systems, a characteristic is given of the ratio of the shares of state, cooperative and private enterprises. Nevertheless, such a characteristic is formal; for a deeper description of the economic system, qualitative and quantitative characteristics are used to describe the essence of the forms and methods of controlling property and its appropriation. For example, for countries with economies in transition, such a characteristic can be given by answering the following questions:

  • a measure of the concentration of power in the hands of the bureaucratic party-state apparatus and the isolation of the state from society (workers do not participate in the appropriation of social wealth);
  • degree of centralization/decentralization of state property (“transfer” of some management functions to the enterprise level) and, for example, nationalization of cooperative property;
  • a measure of the decomposition of the state-bureaucratic pyramid of economic power and the formation of "closed departmental systems", the strengthening of power on the ground, in the regions.

Over time, the economic system can democratize, with more ownership and appropriation given to businesses and individuals.

An important characteristic of property relations is the form of ownership, what is the share of enterprises: wholly owned by the state; joint-stock enterprises, the controlling stake of which is in the hands of the state; cooperatives and collective enterprises; joint-stock enterprises, the controlling stake of which is in the hands of employees; joint-stock enterprises, where the controlling stake is owned by individuals and private corporations; private personal enterprises using hired labor; based on the personal labor of owners; enterprises owned by foreigners; property of public organizations; various types of joint ventures.

Comparative analysis of social parameters

Level and dynamics of real incomes . The "price" of the real income received (duration of the working week, family working time fund, labor intensity). The quality of consumption (market saturation, time spent in the sphere of consumption). Share of free time, directions of its use. The quality and content of work. The development of the socio-cultural sphere, the availability of its services. Development of the scientific and educational sphere and its accessibility.

Comparative study of the mechanism of functioning of economic systems

Modern market economic system

The market is a complex economic system of social relations in the sphere of economic reproduction. It is due to several principles that determine its essence and distinguish it from other economic systems. These principles are based on the freedom of man, his entrepreneurial talents and on the fair treatment of them by the state. Indeed, there are few of these principles - they can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but their importance for the very concept of a market economy can hardly be overestimated. Moreover, these foundations, namely: the freedom of the individual and fair competition, are very closely connected with the concept of the rule of law. Guarantees of freedom and fair competition can only be given in the conditions of civil society and the rule of law. But the very essence of the rights acquired by a person under the rule of law is the right to freedom of consumption: every citizen has the right to arrange his life the way he imagines, within the framework of his financial capabilities. It is necessary for a person that the rights to property be inviolable, and in this protection of his rights he himself plays the main role, and the state assumes the role of protecting other citizens from illegal encroachments on the property of a citizen. This alignment of forces keeps a person within the law, since ideally the state is on his side. A law that is beginning to be respected, whatever it may be, becomes fair at least for the one who respects it. But, protecting the rights of citizens, the state should not cross the border, both totalitarianism and chaos. In the first case, the initiative of citizens will be restrained or manifested in a perverted form, and in the second, the state and its laws can be swept away by violence. However, the "distance" between totalitarianism and chaos is quite large, and in any case the state must play its "own" role. This role lies in the effective regulation of the economy. Regulation should be understood as a very wide range of measures, and the more effective its use, the higher the credibility of the state.

Distinctive features:

  • a variety of forms of ownership, among which the leading place is still occupied by private property in various forms;
  • the deployment of the scientific and technological revolution, which accelerated the creation of a powerful industrial and social infrastructure;
  • limited state intervention in the economy, but the role of the government in the social sphere is still great;
  • changing the structure of production and consumption (increasing role of services);
  • growth in the level of education (after school);
  • new attitude to work (creative);
  • increasing attention to the environment (limiting the reckless use of natural resources);
  • humanization of the economy (“human potential”);
  • informatization of society (increase in the number of knowledge producers);
  • small business renaissance (rapid renewal and high product differentiation);
  • globalization of economic activity (the world has become a single market).

Traditional economic system

In economically underdeveloped countries, there is a traditional economic system. This type of economic system is based on backward technology, widespread manual labor, and a multistructural economy.

The multistructural nature of the economy means the existence of various forms of management under a given economic system. In a number of countries natural-communal forms are preserved, based on communal management and natural forms of distribution of the created product. Small-scale production is of great importance. It is based on private ownership of productive resources and the personal labor of their owner. In countries with a traditional system, small-scale production is represented by numerous peasant and handicraft farms that dominate the economy.

In conditions of relatively underdeveloped national entrepreneurship, foreign capital often plays a huge role in the economies of the countries under consideration.

Traditions and customs illuminated by centuries, religious cultural values, caste and class divisions prevail in the life of society, holding back socio-economic progress.

The solution of key economic problems has specific features within the framework of various structures. The traditional system is characterized by such a feature - the active role of the state. By redistributing a significant part of the national income through the budget, the state allocates funds for the development of infrastructure and the provision of social support to the poorest segments of the population. The traditional economy is based on traditions passed down from generation to generation. These traditions determine whether goods and services are produced, for whom, and how. The list of benefits, production technology and distribution are based on the customs of the country. The economic roles of members of society are determined by heredity and caste. This type of economy is preserved today in a number of so-called underdeveloped countries, into which technical progress penetrates with great difficulty, because, as a rule, it undermines the customs and traditions established in these systems.

Benefits of the traditional economy

  • stability;
  • predictability;
  • goodness and a lot of benefits.

Disadvantages of the traditional economy

  • defenselessness against external influences;
  • inability to self-improvement, to progress.

Distinctive features:

  • extremely primitive technologies;
  • the predominance of manual labor;
  • all key economic problems are solved in accordance with age-old customs;
  • the organization and management of economic life is carried out on the basis of the decisions of the council.

Traditional economic system: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Benin. These are the least developed countries in the world. The economy is oriented towards agriculture. In most countries, the fragmentation of the population in the form of national (folk) groups prevails. GNP per capita does not exceed $400. The economies of the countries are represented mainly by agriculture, rarely by the mining industry. Everything that is produced and extracted is not able to feed and provide for the population of these countries. In contrast to these states, there are countries with a higher income, but also focused on agriculture - Azerbaijan, Côte d'Ivoire, Pakistan.

Administrative-command system (planned)

This system dominated earlier in the USSR, the countries of Eastern Europe, and a number of Asian states.

The characteristic features of the ACN are public (and in reality - state) ownership of almost all economic resources, monopolization and bureaucratization of the economy in specific forms, centralized economic planning as the basis of the economic mechanism.

The economic mechanism of the AKC has a number of features. It assumes, firstly, the direct management of all enterprises from a single center - the highest echelons of state power, which nullifies the independence of economic entities. Secondly, the state completely controls the production and distribution of products, as a result of which free market relationships between individual farms are excluded. Thirdly, the state apparatus manages economic activity with the help of mainly administrative and administrative (command) methods, which undermines the material interest in the results of labor.

The complete nationalization of the economy causes the monopolization of production and marketing of products, unprecedented in its scale. Giant monopolies, established in all areas of the national economy and supported by ministries and departments, in the absence of competition, do not care about the introduction of new equipment and technology. The scarce economy generated by the monopoly is characterized by the absence of normal material and human reserves in case the balance of the economy is disturbed.

In countries with ACN, the solution of general economic problems had its own specific features. In accordance with the prevailing ideological guidelines, the task of determining the volume and structure of products was considered too serious and responsible to transfer its decision to the direct producers themselves - industrial enterprises, state farms and collective farms.

The centralized distribution of material goods, labor and financial resources was carried out without the participation of direct producers and consumers, in accordance with pre-selected as public goals and criteria, based on central planning. A significant part of the resources, in accordance with the prevailing ideological guidelines, was directed to the development of the military-industrial complex.

The distribution of the created products among the participants in production was strictly regulated by the central authorities by means of a universally applied tariff system, as well as centrally approved norms of funds for the wage fund. This led to the prevalence of an egalitarian approach to wages.

Main features:

  • state ownership of virtually all economic resources;
  • strong monopolization and bureaucratization of the economy;
  • centralized, directive economic planning as the basis of the economic mechanism.

The main features of the economic mechanism:

  • direct management of all enterprises from a single center;
  • the state has full control over the production and distribution of products;
  • the state apparatus manages economic activity with the help of predominantly administrative-command methods.

This type of economic system is typical for: Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea. A centralized economy with an overwhelming share of the public sector is more dependent on agriculture and foreign trade. GNP per capita is slightly over $1,000.

mixed system

A mixed economy is an economic system where both the state and the private sector play an important role in the production, distribution, exchange and consumption of all resources and material goods in the country. At the same time, the regulatory role of the market is supplemented by the mechanism of state regulation, and private property coexists with public and state property. The mixed economy arose in the interwar period and to this day represents the most effective form of management. There are five main tasks solved by a mixed economy:

  • providing employment;
  • full use of production capacity;
  • price stabilization;
  • parallel growth of wages and labor productivity;
  • equilibrium of the balance of payments.

Distinctive features:

  • priority of the market organization of the economy;
  • multi-sector economy;
  • state MANAGING entrepreneurship is combined with private business with its comprehensive support;
  • orientation of financial, credit and tax policy towards economic growth and social stability;
  • social protection of the population.

This type of economic system is typical for Russia, China, Sweden, France, Japan, Great Britain, USA.

Literature

  • Kolganov A.I., Buzgalin A.V. Economic Comparative Studies: Comparative Analysis of Economic Systems: Textbook. - M .: INFRA-M, 2009. - ISBN 5-16-002023-3
  • Nureev R.M. Essays on the history of institutionalism. - Rostov n/a: "Assistance - XXI century"; Humanitarian Perspectives, 2010. - ISBN 978-5-91423-018-7
  • Vidyapin V.I., Zhuravleva G.P., Petrakov N.Ya. and etc. Economic systems: cybernetic nature of development, market methods of management, coordination of economic activity of corporations / Translated with the general editor - N.Ya. Petrakov; Vidyapina V.I.; Zhuravleva G.P. - M .: INFRA-M, 2008. - ISBN 978-5-16-003402-7
  • Dynkin A.A., Korolev I.S., Khesin E.S. and etc. World Economy: Forecast until 2020 / Edited by A.A. Dynkina, I.S. Koroleva, G.I. Machavariani. - M .: Master, 2008. - ISBN 978-5-9776-0013-2

Notes

Links

  • Website Inozemtseva VL Modern post-industrial society: nature, contradictions.
  • Erokhina EA Theory of economic development system-synergetic approach.
  • Liiv E. H. Infodynamics generalized entropy and negentropy 1997