nationalekonomi

Nationalekonomi is the study of how a nation allocates its limited resources to produce goods and services and to distribute income among its residents. In many languages the term encompasses macroeconomic analysis at the national level, focusing on the whole economy and the system of national accounts, including output, income, and expenditure.

The economy is commonly analyzed through major aggregates such as gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment, inflation, and the balance of payments. The standard model divides the economy into households, firms, government, and the external sector, whose interactions are mediated by prices, markets, and policy actions. Nationalekonomi also examines the factors that determine growth and living standards, including technology, productivity, investments, savings, demographics, and institutions.

Policy tools studied in nationalekonomi include fiscal policy (government spending and taxation), monetary policy (control of money supply and interest rates by a central bank), exchange rate policy, and trade policy. Debates within the field cover the effectiveness of different policies, the role of expectations, regulatory design, and how economies respond to shocks such as financial crises or changes in global demand.

Nationalekonomi relies on national accounts and statistical data to measure performance and to compare across time and countries. It provides the framework for understanding how monetary, fiscal, and structural policies interact to influence growth, employment, price stability, and welfare at the national level.