Economic factors (2024)

Watch this video and read this article where we explore economic factors in a PESTEL analysis.

Economic factors include economic growth, percentage of unemployment, inflation, interest and exchange rates, and commodity (oil, steel, gold, etc) prices. These affect the discretionary income and purchasing power of households and organisations alike.

Boom and gloom

Economic factors may also affect the availability of credit and finance, and the capacity to purchase or access key resources. Generally, there are periods of boom, as experienced before the 2008/09 financial crisis, followed by periods of gloom, that temper the ability of organisations to produce, and consumers to buy.

A stable political climate with good governance is more likely to generate a conducive economic environment for businesses to thrive. In recent years, the failure of politics and governance in Venezuela and Zimbabwe led to an extraordinary rise in prices (known as hyperinflation). The subsequent contraction of these economies meant households and businesses were overwhelmed by additional costs, leading to mass unemployment, low creditworthiness to access financial facilities, and the unaffordability of foreign goods and currency.

Capital and labour flight

In these conditions, the flight of skilled labour and capital to more stable economies worsen the situation, and it can take decades to enter a new phase of economic recovery and growth, as evidenced in Rwanda after the conflict of 1994.

The key questions here are:

  • What economic factors will affect my organisation going forward?
  • How does the wider performance of the economy affect my organisation at the moment?
  • How is my organisation’s pricing, revenue and costs impacted by each economic factor?
Economic factors (2024)

FAQs

What are the economic factors? ›

Economic factors include economic growth, percentage of unemployment, inflation, interest and exchange rates, and commodity (oil, steel, gold, etc) prices. These affect the discretionary income and purchasing power of households and organisations alike.

What are the most important economic questions to answer quizlet? ›

the reason why we must answer the three basic economic questions (what and how much g/s to produce, how will they be produced, and for whom will they be produced) occurs when wants are greater than resources available.

What questions do all societies have to answer economically? ›

An economic system is any system of allocating scarce resources. Economic systems answer three basic questions: what will be produced, how will it be produced, and how will the output society produces be distributed?

What are the 3 factors in every economic scenario? ›

Important economic factors include: Natural resources. Power and energy resources. Capital accumulation.

What are economic risk factors? ›

Economic risk refers to factors that can directly impact the economy, including interest rates, exchange rates, tax rates, management, recession/debt crisis, sovereign risk, legislation, cyber attacks, and supply and demand.

What are economic conditions? ›

Economic conditions are the current characteristics of a country's economy. These characteristics can help describe the economy's present health. Economic conditions often include economic data for a specific time period to help experts understand the factors that might affect the economy's behavior.

What 3 questions must economics answer? ›

Economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economists address these three questions: (1) What goods and services should be produced to meet consumer needs? (2) How should they be produced, and who should produce them? (3) Who should receive goods and services?

What answers the basic economic questions? ›

The answers to these questions depend on the economic system that is in place. In a pure market economy, the basic economic questions are answered by private individuals and businesses freely interacting over time. Private property is protected, and competition and negotiation are encouraged.

What is one of the main economic questions? ›

economies answer the economic questions of (1) what to produce, (2) how to produce, and (3) for whom to produce.

What are the two main economic systems? ›

Key Takeaways

The two major economic systems in modern societies are capitalism and socialism. In practice most societies have economies that mix elements of both systems but that lean toward one end of the capitalism–socialism continuum. Social democracies combine elements of both capitalism and socialism.

What is the most important question in economics? ›

The 3 big questions of economics are – 1. What to produce? , 2. How to produce? , 3. Who to produce it for?

What are the three basic economic systems? ›

There are three main types of economic systems known as economies: a command economy, a market economy and a mixed economy. An understanding of the differences in types of economies can help you decide how to deep dive into a potential career working in the field of economics.

Why are economic factors important? ›

Several factors—such as interest rates, consumer spending, and unemployment rates—affect economic growth, helping economists forecast how money will move through society. Learn about the importance of economic factors for families, businesses, and the economy.

What is the key to economic growth? ›

Increases in capital goods, labor force, technology, and human capital can all contribute to economic growth.

What is the importance of economic environment? ›

Why is economic environment important? Economic environments are the foundation of growth. Economic environments are platforms where individuals trade goods, services, and money to grow their separate wealth. This in turn grows the general wealth of the environment.

What are the 7 factors of economic growth? ›

Economic factors affecting growth and development are: natural resources, capital formation, technological progress, entrepreneurship, human resource development, population growth and social overheads.

What are the 4 factors of economics? ›

Economists define four factors of production: land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship. These can be considered the building blocks of an economy.

What are the three factors of economy? ›

The 3 main sectors of the economy are the primary sector, the secondary or manufacturing sector, and the tertiary or service sector.

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