közgazdaságtan

Közgazdaságtan is the Hungarian term for economics, a social science that studies how people use scarce resources to meet their needs. It analyzes production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, and how markets coordinate supply and demand through prices, incentives, and institutions.

The field is usually divided into microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics examines the behavior of individuals, households, and firms, and how they interact in markets for goods, services, and resources. Macroeconomics studies aggregate indicators such as output, employment, inflation, growth, and the roles of monetary and fiscal policy in shaping overall economic performance. Economists employ theoretical models, mathematical analysis, and empirical data to explain phenomena and test policy ideas.

Key topics include consumer choice, firm theory, market structure, competition, game theory, welfare economics, externalities, and public goods. Policy-relevant areas cover taxation, regulation, monetary and fiscal policy, competition policy, and environmental and development issues. Methodological approaches span theoretical modeling, econometrics, experimental and behavioral economics, and computational simulations.

The field has evolved from classical and neoclassical foundations through Keynesian and post-Keynesian developments, the integration of econometrics, and the rise of behavioral and experimental approaches. Subfields include development economics, international economics, environmental economics, labor economics, health economics, finance, and growth theory.

Közgazdaságtan informs public policy, business strategy, and academic research, with attention to efficiency, equity, and sustainable growth. In Hungary, it is taught at universities and research institutions and connects with national and European economic policy discussions.