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TM Economics Lesson 1 Notes 2022 F
TM Economics Lesson 1 Notes 2022 F
TM Economics Lesson 1 Notes 2022 F
Introduction
Man is the social animal. The social nature of man and the instinct of living together and
cooperating with one another, needs adjustment of behavior according to some accepted rules
(Yadder, 1999). This relationship of dependence of man on each other has been growing and
developing with the development of civilization and culture. It is not only growing but also
becoming complex.
Economics is a dynamic science and it is acquiring new dimensions with the passage of time. In
Initially this challenging science was named as Oikonomos, i.e. “The Management of Home
Affairs.” Later, a well-known economist David Ricardo called it “Political Economy.” With the
passage of time, it was realized that political affairs and economic affairs should be discussed
separately. Thus “Political Economy” was divided into two separate branches of science, i.e.
Definition of Economics
Economics can be defined as the study of how to allocate scarce recourses to satisfy unlimited
Wants and needs. It is the study of how people, institutions, and society make choices under
conditions of scarcity.
Scarce resources are such things that command price even though they may be in abundance.
These may include things such as raw materials, energy, land and labour that can be used to
produce goods and services that satisfy human wants and needs.
Various economists have defined Economics in their own ways. There is no single definitions of
Economics on which all economists agree. Dr. Keynes has rightly pointed out that: “Political
There are prominent economists like, Yadder (1999), Economics deals with the study of various
activities of man directed towards acquisition of wealth and earning of the money. L.M. Fraser
divided these definitions of Economics into two categories: First category is related to material
welfare while the second category is related to scarcity of means. We discuss these categories of
Classical Definition
school of thought. He wrote first-ever regular book on traditional economic literature entitled
“An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations” in 1776.Hence he is known as
i. Production of wealth;
Thus “wealth” stands at the heart of Economics and according to classical economists,
Many other prominent economists like J.B. Say Ricardo Malthus, Walker etc also favoured Adam
F.A Walker writes that: “Economics is that part of knowledge which relates to wealth.”
Hence classical economists are of the opinion that all economic activities revolve around the
concept of wealth. We have four basic functions of any economy; i.e. production, consumption,
exchange and distribution and all these functions are based on the concept of wealth.
The over-stressed concept of wealth was misinterpreted by fundamentalists and social reformers
like Carlyle and Ruskin. They tried to confine the concept of wealth to money and gold only
whereas wealth is a comprehensive term and it is used for all those goods and services which
ii. Transferability, i.e. the transformation from one sector to another sector or from one region to
Due to this misconception, the definition introduced by Adam Smith and favoured by other
classical economists was harshly criticized. The critics like Carlyle and Ruskin called it “Dismal
Science” which teaches mammon worship, “Science of Bread and Butter” which preaches
materialism and Carlyle crossed all the limits when he called Economics “A Pig Philosophy.”
Such a harsh criticism was quite unjustified. It looks astonishing that men of letters like Carlyle
and Ruskin could not understand the real sense of the term “wealth.” Either it was jealousy factor
or the misconception of the concept of wealth, this propaganda led to underestimation of the
importance of the subject. Perhaps it was too early to propound such a sophisticated definition of
Economics.
CRITICISM
Though it is a sophisticated definition, yet it is not free from the following restrictions.
This definition gives more importance to wealth while man is more important and wealth is only
The pivot of this definition is the concept of wealth but this central concept remains unclarified
3. Ignores means:
There is much roar of wealth in this definition but how to earn wealth; this definition is silent
about it.
4. Narrow scope:
It is a controversial and unscientific definition due to which its scope remains narrow.
Adam Smith is of the view that a self-centred person is an economic man while A.C. Pigou and
other modern economists are of the opinion that a rational person is an economic man.
6. Not comprehensive:
Adam Smith considers only material goods as wealth whereas modern economists treat both
Adam Smith pointed out that wealth is the sole end of all economic activities. Robbins and other
Economics literature.
Neo-Classical Definition
Though a harsh criticism over Adam Smith’s controversial definition brought about a bad repute
of Economics, yet it started a tradition to define Economics. Dr. Alfred Marshall (1842-1924), a
Economics” published in 1890. Marshall’s definition was based on the concept of human
material welfare. Hence Marshall and his followers, i.e. Cannon, Pigou etc were called “Welfare
Economists.”
“Economics is the study of man in ordinary business of life. It enquires how he gets his income
and here he uses it. It examines that part of individual and social action, which is most closely
connected with the attainment and with the use of material requisites of wellbeing………………..It is
the study of wealth on one side and on the other side, which is more
MAJOR FEATURES
1 Social science:
Economics is a social science because it is the study of ordinary business of life. An isolate
2. Income pattern:
Both individual and collective (i.e. micro and macro) activities are discussed in Economics.
4. Material welfare:
All economic activities revolve around the major concern of material welfare. Economics has no
Wealth is not the end of all human activities; it is only a source to maximize human material
MERITS
Marshall has enriched the definition of Economics with the following merits.
1. Social science:
Marshall has given the status of social science to Economics as he considers it a science which
2. Removes misunderstanding:
Adam Smith’s definition created a misunderstanding towards the subject matter of Economics
Marshall considers not only individual efforts but also collective efforts for the attainment of
material welfare.
4. Human welfare:
Marshall concentrates on human welfare in his definition which is the ultimate objective of all
economic activities.
Human material welfare is the pivot of Marshall’s definition which corresponds to modern
economic theories.
Adam Smith believes that wealth accumulation is only the source of human happiness while it is
an established fact that we cannot achieve it until and unless we strictly observe moral and
spiritual values.
CONCLUSION
This definition declares that wealth is not the sole end of all economic activities and it cannot be
7. General approach:
Marshall’s definition is general in approach because in this definition we study ordinary business
According to Marshall, we do not study Economics just for knowledge sake but we have to be
DEMERITS
Material welfare is the pivot of Marshall’s definition of Economics. It is purely a subjective term
and it varies from man to man, place to place and country to country.
This definition focuses on ordinary business of life and an isolated person is not considered
“Your knowledge is of meager and unsatisfactory kind if you cannot measure what you are
speaking about” The central theme of Marshall’s definition i.e. welfare is not measurable. Hence
Marshall’s definition is concerned with material requisites. He has ignored non- material
requisites, i.e. services for human welfare. Hence he has restricted the scope of Economics.
The word “welfare” in the definition involves value – judgment, i.e. personal assessment or
personal opinion about something. Robbins says that an economist must be neutral and he should
6. Impracticable:
It is not possible in practice to divide the activities of an individual into material and non
material categories.
7. Problem for policy making:
“Welfare” is purely a relative term based on liking and disliking. It creates problem for the
government in framing economic policies. For example, some people may object the production
of cigarette on the ground that it retards welfare but on the other hands some people may
8. Not comprehensive:
It is not a comprehensive definition as it considers material requisites and ignores non – material
requisites, i.e. services of doctors, engineers, professors etc. for human welfare. Moreover, it
Marshall does not keep into account the observation of ethics, moral values, and customs etc.
Marshall includes in his definition of Economics only those products which promote material
welfare and excludes those products which do not promote material welfare. This partial
Robbins contends: “Just satisfy wants and don’t bother whether they are for the better or the
“Why talk of welfare at all? Why not throw away this mask altogether?”
Thus Robbins rejected the concept of material welfare as the base of definition of Economics. He
introduced a new definition of Economics in his book, “Nature and Significance of Economics
CONCLUSION
welfare is the ultimate objective of all economic activities. The concept of welfare not only
upgraded the status of Economics but also opened a gate-way for modern Economics.
Modern Definition
Lionel Robbins, a well – known British economist of London School of Economics wrote a book
Marshall’s definition of Economics in his book and presented a new definition as under:
“Economics is the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between multiple ends
Simply speaking,
MAJOR FEATURES
1. Multiple ends:
Everybody is confronted with multiple ends or unlimited wants. These wants increase in quantity
and quality over time, even some wants occur again and again. When one want is satisfied, other
wants occur and this process goes on forever. No one can claim that all his wants have been met.
All wants are not equally important. Some wants are more important than others. People arrange
their wants in order of preference as (a) basic needs (b) comforts and (c) luxuries. Most urgent
wants are satisfied first and less important wants are satisfied later. For example, the want of
food is more important than the want of TV. Hence the want of food is met first than the want of
TV. Moreover, importance of wants varies with the passage of time and with the change of
sources.
3. Scarce means:
Scarcity of means shows a situation where resources are limited to meet unlimited wants. Means
or resources always remain scarce to meet unlimited wants. Scarcity is a fact of life. It is equally
applicable to the poor and the rich. Even the richest person of the world cannot get rid of
scarcity.
4. Alternative uses:
There are alternative uses of scarce resources. For example, electricity can be used for industrial,
commercial or domestic purpose. Similarly, land can be used for agriculture, industry or housing.
A student may spend his money to take meal, or to purchase book or to entertain himself along
with his fellows. Particular resource can be used to satisfy only one want at a time; we cannot
meet any other want at the same time with the same resource. Moreover, first of all, top priority
5. Problem of choice:
Within the constraint of limited resources, an individual has to face the problem of choice, e.g.
selection of the best possible use of scarce means to satisfy the most urgent want. It leads
towards an economic problem. Every rational individual adopts an attitude to tackle this
economic problem. According to Robbins, Economics is the study of that human behavior which
MERITS
1. Neutral:
Robbins has given Economics the status of positive science. According to him, Economics has
2. Scientific:
This definition is scientific as it is not based on a vague and immeasurable concept of welfare but
3. Realistic:
This definition describes an established reality that every individual has unlimited wants and
limited resources.
4. Universal:
This definition describes the universal fact that every individual has unlimited wants and limited
resources.
5. Wider in scope:
This definition has extended the boundaries of Economics. Both material and non-material
6. Precise:
Economic problem, the pivot of all economic activities, has been precisely and comprehensively
7. Analytical:
Robbins definition is clear on the nature, scope and subject matter of Economics.
9. Systematic:
Robbins has developed the definition in a systematic manner on the basis of established realities
DEMERITS
Certainly, Robbins definition is superior to earlier definitions but it is not free from the following
demerits:
Robbins considers Economics as natural science like Physics, Chemistry etc while Economics is
based on social behavior of human being. Hence Economics is not a natural but a social science.
Robbins considers Economics as positive science. He says that it should only describe the facts
as they are. But Post–Robbins modern economists are of the view that Economics is not only
positive but also normative science. Elley says that “Economics is something more than a
science.”
Similarly, Wootton and Thomas are of the view that “Function of an economist is not only to
3. Micro analysis:
Cairn-cross in his book “Factors of Economic Development” writes that “Individual choices
Robbins has made the study of Economics too wider. Robbins has discussed the wants in
general. He has not specified wants which should be discussed in Economics. Hence, Robins has
5. Ignores key-concepts:
Robbins has explained that how resources are allocated but he is silent about the major concepts
Robbins has made Economics only a valuation theory on the basis of unlimited wants and
limited resources. Many economists like Fraser are of the view that Economics is something
7. Colorless:
Liking and disliking make a science interesting, charming and colorful. According to Robbins,
an economist must remain neutral and impartial. Hence he has made Economics impersonal,
Robbins is silent about human welfare. Hence human element is missing in his definition of
Economics.
9. Ignores ethics:
Robbins is of the view that Economics is not concerned with ethics. He gives same weightage to
CONCLUSION
Despite of all these flaws, Robbins definition is considered the most persuasive and popular
definition of Economics. It is now universally accepted that scarcity of resources and unlimited
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Economics is the study of how people allocate scarce resources for production, distribution,
and consumption, both individually and collectively.
Two major types of economics are microeconomics, which focuses on the behavior of
individual consumers and producers, and macroeconomics, which examine overall
economies on a regional, national, or international scale.
Economics is especially concerned with efficiency in production and exchange and uses
models and assumptions to understand how to create incentives and policies that will
maximize efficiency.