Capitalism

Capitalism refers to an economic system where businesses, resources, goods, and labor are owned by private entities. In such an economy, the role of the government is limited to regulation and monitoring. This system of economy prioritizes production and profits.

Capitalism is in stark contrast to socialism which prioritizes welfare and social equality. In a socialist economy, the government owns and controls production, investments, and price determination. With much less red tape, private ownership usually leads to efficient production. Capitalist theories advocate competition which brings down prices as a result of innovation.

• Capitalism is an economic system where the means of production are owned by private entities.
• Here, the government’s control is insignificant; price and production depend on the demand and supply.
• In the present era, most world economies are mixed in nature, with a blend of capitalism with some degree of socialism.
• Some nations have cronyism, where a capitalist economy is run by private entities but closely associated with government bodies.

In capitalism, the private sector faces very little governmental interference or control. Thus, there is a high degree of competition among the private players. Directly or indirectly, competition also expands the scope for development. The only potential concern is fair play. For smooth functioning, governments really need to ensure that the aggressive competition is also fair.

Capitalism is a theory. In practice, however, no country has a purely capitalist economy. Moreover, a purely production-oriented economy might come at the cost of citizen welfare or violate human rights. Therefore, most world economies combine capitalism with socialism to balance economic growth and public interest.

Capitalism has seven fundamental pillars; each one is equally important for the privatization and growth of the economy. Following are the pillars:

1. Free-Market Economy: A capitalist economy represents an economic system where people can trade without governmental restrictions or control.
2. Private Property: In a capitalist economy, individuals engaged in the production of goods or services can own capital goods like land, building, and machinery.
3. Supply-Demand Market: The capitalist economy works on supply and demand function. If the demand for a particular item increases, its price also increases. Similarly, if the supply of a product falls, the price escalates.
4. Competition: Each firm in the capitalist economy tries to maximize its profit. So, there is no restriction on the entry and exit of new business entities in this kind of economy.
5. Self-Interest: A capitalist economy prioritizes the maximization of profits. People work for themselves, i.e., for individual earnings and growth.
6. Freedom of Choice: A free market encourages the co-existence of many private firms. As a result, consumers have more options, be it for consumption or investment.
7. Limited Government Role: In a capitalist economy, the government has little involvement in the functioning of private firms. They intervene only to prevent a monopoly. All the government has to do is ensure fair competition among business entities. However, this economic system gives the wealthy an unfair advantage. An economic inequality, therefore, is the biggest criticism against capitalist economies.

The evolution of capitalism can be traced back to the 16th century, when the British textile industry flourished. The intention was to utilize accumulated capital and produce goods generating profits. Simultaneously, Europe supplied precious metals, leading to price inflation. The capitalists reaped maximum profits thanks to inflation. During the mercantile era, between A.D. 1500 and 1750, the capitalists relished national power. It paved the way for economic development, legal standards, and monetary stability.

The capitalists were inclined towards the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. They invested both capital and expertise. It was a free-market economy that promoted liberalism in the 19th century. Various policies like balanced budgets, free trade, gold standards, and limits for poverty relief were formulated. At that point, the Marxism theory of economy relented capitalist influence. The new socialist theory highlighted the poor working conditions of industrial labor.

After World War I, international markets narrowed down. Consequently, the national currencies took over gold standards across Europe and the U.S. By the onset of the 1930s’ Great Depression, the capitalist economy lost its relevance. As a result, many countries started leaning towards socialism. After World War II, though, the capitalist economy made a comeback. In the 21st century, the capitalist economy grew steadily. But at some point, it had to recede. The Great Recession of 2007-2009 made people consider socialism once again. It was partially adopted in the U.S. Most countries feature a mixed economy.  

There are many capitalist economies and countries in the world, some of its examples are as follows:

1. Singapore
2. New Zealand
3. Australia
4. Switzerland
5. Ireland
6. Taiwan
7. United Kingdom
8. Estonia
9. Canada
10. Denmark

In the real world, there is no absolute capitalism. Instead, most economies are mixed to some extent. For example, Singapore has the highest freedom score of 89.7%.

The capitalist mindset encouraged people to work hard and gain maximum profit from their privately owned businesses. Since profit is the main motive, the level of innovation and technological development rose. As a result, consumers could buy but the best products at competitive prices.

Such an economic system improves production efficiency, resource allocation, and trade practices. Moreover, it enhances the standard of living and eliminates discrimination in society. In addition, there is low government intervention, which makes business registration and licensing convenient. Bureaucratic red-tapism is minimal.

The capitalist economy has a considerable drawback. Capitalism causes a massive divide between the wealthy and the poor. The business owners more or less rig the system. People belonging to lower economic strata are unhappy. When a capitalist economy goes into recession, unemployment is high. Though the capitalist economy provides rapid development, it also results in a quick downturn. Also, existing businesses use their power to create barriers against new entrants. Also, the natural resource depletion rate is higher; all thanks to minimal government interventions. Finally, excessive competition leads to a price-dominant market. That is, there is one price leader or price setter; other firms are forced to match their strategies to survive the competition.

In socialism, the government owns the means of production - capital goods and resources. Whereas, in capitalism, the means of production are owned by private entities. In the former, governments ascertain the price and production level. With the latter, price and production are dictated by demand-supply.

The socialist economy focuses on distributing wealth equally among the rich and the poor. Its main aim is the welfare of the citizens. Moreover, it safeguards citizens' human rights. This is achieved by ensuring easy access to public amenities. In contrast, the capitalist economy leads to unequal distribution of wealth. 

This has been a guide to What is Capitalism and its Definition. Here we discuss capitalism characteristics, how it works, examples, its pros, and its cons. You may refer to the following articles to learn more about finance –

• Underemployment
• Demonetization
• Keynesian Economics
• Applied Economics