Noneconomic

Noneconomic is an adjective used to describe phenomena, motives, values, or consequences that are not primarily related to economics, markets, prices, or the allocation of scarce resources.

In economics and related social sciences, noneconomic factors can influence choices and welfare alongside economic considerations. Examples include ethics, cultural norms, social status, risk perceptions unrelated to price, political feasibility, and religious or ideological beliefs.

In business, noneconomic considerations include employee well-being, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, and environmental or social impact. In public policy, non-market or noneconomic costs and benefits (such as cultural heritage or social cohesion) may be weighed through non-market valuation or governance choices.

Usage notes: noneconomic is sometimes used interchangeably with non-economic or perceived differently by style guides; some writers prefer non-economic to avoid ambiguity; when precision matters, authors distinguish market or economic factors from noneconomic ones.

Criticism and nuance: The boundary between economic and noneconomic can be blurred, since many effects have both monetary and non-monetary dimensions. Some scholars argue for integrating noneconomic values into formal models rather than treating them as separate.