Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The word ‘economics’ is from the Greek for οἶκος (oikos: house) and νόμος (nomos: custom or law), hence “rules of the house(hold).”
A definition that captures much of modern economics is that of Lionel Robbins in a 1932 essay: “the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.” Scarcity means that available resources are insufficient to satisfy all wants and needs. Absent scarcity and alternative uses of available resources, there is no economic problem. The subject thus defined involves the study of choice, as affected by incentives and resources.
Areas of economics may be divided or classified in various ways, including:
* microeconomics and macroeconomics
* positive economics (“what is”) and normative economics (“what ought to be”)
* mainstream economics and heterodox economics
* fields and broader categories within economics.