Microeconomics (from Greek prefix micro- "μικρό" meaning "small" + "economics"- "οικονομια") is a branch of economics that studies the behavior of individual households and firms in making decisions on the allocation of limited resources.Typically, it applies to markets where goods or services are bought and
sold. Microeconomics examines how these decisions and behaviors affect
the supply and demand
for goods and services, which determines prices, and how prices, in
turn, determine the quantity supplied and quantity demanded of goods and
services
It considers the behavior of individual consumers, firms and industries.
Microeconomics is a branch of economics that studies how individuals,
households, and firms make decisions to allocate limited resources,
typically in markets where goods or services are being bought and sold.Microeconomics examines how these decisions and behaviors affect the
supply and demand for goods and services, which determines prices, and
how prices, in turn, determine the supply and demand of goods and
services.
Microeconomics has been called “the bottom-up view of the economy”,
or “how people deal with money, time, and resources.”
One of the goals of microeconomics is to analyze market mechanisms that
establish relative prices amongst goods and services and allocation of
limited resources amongst many alternative uses.
Microeconomics analyzes market failure, where markets fail to produce
efficient results, as well as describing the theoretical conditions
needed for perfect competition.
microeconomics includes a range of specialized areas of study, many of which draw on methods from other fields. Industrial organization examines topics such as the entry and exit of firms, innovation, and the role of trademarks. Labor economics examines wages, employment, and labor market dynamics. Public economics
examines the design of government tax and expenditure policies and
economic effects of these policies (e.g., social insurance programs). Political economy examines the role of political institutions in determining policy outcomes. Health economics
examines the organization of health care systems, including the role of
the health care workforce and health insurance programs. Urban economics,
which examines the challenges faced by cities, such as sprawl, air and
water pollution, traffic congestion, and poverty, draws on the fields of
urban geography and sociology. Financial economics
examines topics such as the structure of optimal portfolios, the rate
of return to capital, econometric analysis of security returns, and
corporate financial behavior. Law and economics applies microeconomics principles to the selection and enforcement of competing legal regimes and their relative efficiencies.
Macroeconomics
The study of the behavior an economy at the aggregate level, as opposed to the level of a specific subgroups or individuals (which is called microeconomics). For example, a macro economist might consider the industrial sector, the services sector or the farm sector, but he/she will not consider specific parts of any of these sectors. Factors studies include inflation, unemployment, and industrial production, often with the aim of studying the effect of government policy on these factors.
The branch of economics that analyzes the market behavior of individual
consumers and firms in an attempt to understand the
decision-making process of firms and households. It is concerned with
the interaction between individual buyers and sellers and the factors
that influence the choices made by buyers and sellers. In particular,
microeconomics focuses on patterns of supply and demand and the
determination of price and output in individual markets.
The field of economics is broken down into two distinct areas of study:
microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics looks at the smaller
picture and focuses more on basic theories of supply and demand and how
individual businesses decide how much of something to produce and how
much to charge for it. People who have any desire to start their own
business or who want to learn the rationale behind the pricing of
particular products and services would be more interested in this area.
Macroeconomics,
on the other hand, looks at the big picture (hence "macro"). It focuses
on the national economy as a whole and provides a basic knowledge of
how things work in the business world. For example, people who study
this branch of economics would be able to interpret the latest Gross
Domestic Product figures or explain why a 6% rate of unemployment is not
necessarily a bad thing. Thus, for an overall perspective of how the
entire economy works, you need to have an understanding of economics at
both the micro and macro levels.