National+and+International+Economies

> **A household** consists of one or more persons who occupy a unit of housing. Household income is the income earned by the members of the household. Household spending is called **consumption** and consists of spending on housing, transportation, food, entertainment and other goods and services. > A business firm is a business organization controlled by a single management. Business firms can be organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations. Business spending by firms is called **investment** and consists of expenditures for machines, tools and buildings that are used in producing goods and services. > The nations of the world can be divided into two categories: industrial countries and developing countries. The economies of industrial nations are highly interdependent. As business conditions change in one country, business firms shift resources among countries so that economic conditions in one country spread to other countries. > The international trade of the United States occurs primarily with its neighbors Canada and Mexico. **Exports** are products the United States sells to foreign countries. **Imports** are products it buys from other countries along with the major industrial powers. The U.S. tends to import agricultural products and minerals from developing countries. Developing countries buy mostly manufactured goods from the United States. > The economic role of government can be divided into two categories: microeconomic policy and macroeconomic policy. Microeconomic policy deals with providing public goods, like police and military protection, correcting problems like pollution, and promoting competition. Macroeconomic policy is divided into two categories: fiscal policy and monetary policy. **Monetary policy** is directed toward control of money and credit, and **fiscal policy** is directed toward government spending and taxation. > Households own the factors of production and sell them to firms in return for income. Business firms combine the factors of production into goods and services and sell them to households and the international sector in exchange for revenue. The international sector buys and sells goods and services to business firms. The **circular flow diagram** illustrates these relationships. > Households sell resources to the government—which uses those resources to produce government services—in return for income. Business firms sell the goods and services they produce to the government for revenue. Taxes are the income the government receives from households and business firms. In reality, the government may interact directly with foreign consumers and businesses, but most government activity with the international sector occurs when the government uses business firms as intermediaries.
 * Fundamental Questions **
 * 1) **What is a household, and what is household income and spending?**
 * 1) **What is a business firm, and what is business spending?**
 * 1) **How does the international sector affect the economy?**
 * 1) **What does government do?**
 * 1) **How do the three private sectors—households, businesses, and the international sector—interact in the economy?**
 * 1) **How does the government interact with the other sectors of the economy?**