What Are the Major Divisions of Economics?

Economics is the social science that is concerned with employing society's resources in such a way as to achieve the maximum level of satisfaction of societal needs and wants. Five major divisions in the discipline provide a conceptual framework for studying economic processes and institutions.

The five major divisions of economics are consumption, distribution, exchange, production and public finance.

Consumption is the branch of economics that is concerned with spending by households and firms on goods and services. Consumer spending is significant; it makes up two-thirds of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Distribution examines the allocation of the national income among various inputs, or factors of production. Distribution also can refer to the distribution of income among individuals and households.

Exchange refers to the buying and selling of goods and services, either through barter or the medium of money. In most economies, exchange occurs in a market, the medium that brings together consumers and producers.

Production involves combining inputs or factors, such as land, labor and capital, to produce goods and services. Economists use a production function to study the relationship between inputs and the goods and services produced.

Governments are active participants in the economy. Public finance is the division of economics that studies taxation and expenditure by governments and the economic effects.