Essay --

Throughout history, many different types of economic models and theories have been developed. These different philosophies of business often were an important and integral part of a government’s basic structure. For example communist countries like China and the Soviet Union practiced a type of socialism. While, democratic nations like the United States and Canada practice forms of capitalism. Also within these economic models exists different theories as well such as Keynsian economics and laissez faire economics. To understand how these types of economies work in the world today, it is important to study and define a variety of economic systems. Researching such economic systems as capitalism and socialism, and also looking at the ideas of laissez faire and the Keynsian economics, a person will start to have a better understanding of how business works in the world today. One of the most common major types of economic systems in the world today is capitalism. In its simplest terms, capitalism can be defined as an economic system in which a country’s trade and industry are run by private organizations for profit. So within capitalism major industries such as manufacturing, energy, banks, transportation, medicine and more are not run by the government. The earliest forms of capitalism can be traced to the 17th century English Puritans who possessed a strong work ethic that focused an importance on productive labor. Modern capitalism is said to have started in the mid-18th century with the birth of factories. Factory owners were able to maximize wealth by making goods that were in-demand and also by streamlining labor. For capitalism to work. supply and demand is typically unregulated by government. It is based on the f... ...omy. For example, China is considered a communist government. However for their economy to exist in the world market, some private ownership and factories have been allowed to exist with government oversight. And the United States while considered a capitalistic society has such institutions as public schools, energy, medicare, and services which all share in and benefit from equally. All economic systems also have their pros and cons. For example, Capitalism has been accused of ignoring the individual in pursuit of profit. While socialism does not reward the entrepreneur with wealth, but often punishes the rich with crushing taxes. In the end, the best way to understand how economies work in the world today is to research each ones basic history and definition. In this way a person can make an informed decision on what economic system they believe works best