Economic Systems and Resource Allocation
When you choose Netflix over cinema tickets, you're experiencing opportunity cost - the value of the next best alternative you gave up. This concept applies to individuals, businesses, and entire governments making decisions.
Every economy (whether free market, mixed, or command) must answer three fundamental questions: What should we produce? How should we produce it? And who gets what we produce?
All production relies on the four factors of production. Land includes natural resources like oil and farmland. Labour covers all physical and mental work that people contribute. Capital refers to man-made tools, machinery, and buildings that help produce goods and services.
Enterprise is perhaps the most crucial factor - these are the risk-taking individuals who combine land, labour, and capital to create businesses and drive innovation.
Remember: Understanding these four factors helps explain why some countries are wealthier than others and how economies develop over time.