economias

Economias is the plural form of economia in Portuguese and Spanish, and is commonly translated as economies in English. The term is used to refer to the systems that countries or regions use to organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, as well as the collective wealth and activities within a given jurisdiction.

Economies are studied as social and economic systems that allocate scarce resources to meet human needs. Key measures include gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, inflation, unemployment, and the balance of trade. Economies differ in structure, with varying shares of agriculture, industry, and services, and in the institutions, laws, and policies that govern markets, property rights, and public goods.

Typologies of economies commonly discussed include market economies, where decisions are driven largely by price signals and private ownership; planned or command economies, where the state directs production and allocation; and mixed economies, which combine market mechanisms with varying degrees of government intervention. Other distinctions focus on development stage, such as developed, emerging, and developing economies, and on openness, such as open versus closed or autarkic systems.

Global economies are interconnected through trade, finance, technology transfer, and policy coordination, which can propagate shocks and opportunities across borders. Over time, factors such as globalization, technological change, and demographic trends have influenced growth, productivity, and living standards within economias.

Etymologically, economia derives from Greek oikonomia, meaning household management; in Lusophone and Hispanophone contexts, economias refer to the plural concept of economies, while in English the term is economies and economy.