Economics & Economic Systems, UNE-WRI

Economic system, any of the ways in which humankind has arranged for its material provisioning. One would think that there would be a great variety of such systems, corresponding to the many cultural arrangements that have characterized human society.
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Economics & Economic Systems Encyclopedia Articles By Title

unemployment insurance
unemployment insurance, a form of social insurance (q.v.) designed to compensate certain categories of workers......
unemployment rate
unemployment rate, percentage of unemployed individuals in an economy among individuals currently in the labour......
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
UPI, an abbreviation for Unified Payments Interface, is a digital system that allows instant money transfer and......
union shop
union shop, arrangement requiring workers to join a particular union and pay dues within a specified period of......
UNISON
UNISON, British labour union, an affiliate of the Trades Union Congress, the national organization of British trade......
UNITA
UNITA, Angolan political party that was originally founded to free the nation from Portuguese colonial rule. UNITA......
United Automobile Workers
United Automobile Workers (UAW), North American industrial union of automotive and other vehicular workers, headquartered......
United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers (UFW), U.S. labour union founded in 1962 as the National Farm Workers Association by the labour......
United Mine Workers of America
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), American labour union, founded in 1890, that engaged in bitter, though often......
United Steelworkers
United Steelworkers (USW), American labour union representing workers in metallurgical industries as well as in......
UPC
UPC, a standard machine-readable bar code used to identify products purchased in grocery and other retail stores.......
use tax
use tax, levy on the use or possession of a commodity. Under the principle that the taxpayer should pay according......
usury
usury, in modern law, the practice of charging an illegal rate of interest for the loan of money. In Old English......
utility and value
utility and value, in economics, the determination of the prices of goods and services. The modern industrial economy......
utopian socialism
utopian socialism, Political and social idea of the mid-19th century. Adapted from such reformers as Robert Owen......
Vaillant, Édouard-Marie
Édouard-Marie Vaillant was a French revolutionary publicist and politician who was exiled for his role in the Paris......
value-added tax
value-added tax (VAT), government levy on the amount that a business firm adds to the price of a commodity during......
Van Fleet, James Alward
James Alward Van Fleet was a U.S. military officer who was a division and corps commander during crucial World......
Van Kleeck, Mary Abby
Mary Abby Van Kleeck was an American social researcher and reformer, a dynamic and influential figure in the investigation......
Vandervelde, Émile
Émile Vandervelde was a Belgian statesman and a prominent figure in European socialism, who served in Belgian coalition......
Vargas, Getúlio
Getúlio Vargas was the president of Brazil (1930–45, 1951–54), who brought social and economic changes that helped......
vassal
vassal, in feudal society, one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord. Some vassals did not......
vCard
vCard, electronic business card that automates the exchange of personal information typically found on a traditional......
Veblen, Thorstein
Thorstein Veblen was an American economist and social scientist who sought to apply an evolutionary, dynamic approach......
Velasco Alvarado, Juan
Juan Velasco Alvarado was the president of Peru from 1968 until 1975. Formerly commander in chief of the Army,......
vending machine
vending machine, coin-actuated machine through which various goods may be retailed. Vending machines should not......
venture capital
venture capital, in business finance, funds provided by wealthy individuals, investment banks, or other financial......
vertical integration
vertical integration, form of business organization in which all stages of production of a good, from the acquisition......
VIA Rail Canada, Inc.
VIA Rail Canada, Inc., Canadian state-owned passenger-railway system. Incorporated in 1977 and established in 1978......
viatical settlement
viatical settlement, arrangement by which a terminally ill patient’s life-insurance policy is sold to provide funds......
Vickrey, William
William Vickrey was a Canadian-born American economist who brought innovative analysis to the problems of incomplete,......
Viner, Jacob
Jacob Viner was a Canadian-born American economist who made major contributions to the theory of cost and production,......
visible trade
visible trade, in economics, exchange of physically tangible goods between countries, involving the export, import,......
Vo Chi Cong
Vo Chi Cong was a strongly anti-French Communist revolutionary who was among the earliest fighters for Vietnam’s......
Vo Nguyen Giap
Vo Nguyen Giap was a Vietnamese military and political leader whose perfection of guerrilla as well as conventional......
Vogel, Sir Julius
Sir Julius Vogel was a New Zealand statesman, journalist, and businessman known for his bold project to regenerate......
volatility
Volatility is a measure of the frequency and magnitude of changes in the price of a stock, exchange-traded fund......
Volcker, Paul
Paul Volcker was an American economist and banker who, as chairman of the board of governors of the U.S. Federal......
Vrije Volk, Het
Het Vrije Volk, former daily evening socialist newspaper, once one of the largest and most influential dailies......
wage and salary
wage and salary, income derived from human labour. Technically, wages and salaries cover all compensation made......
wage theory
wage theory, portion of economic theory that attempts to explain the determination of the payment of labour. A......
wage-price control
wage-price control, setting of government guidelines for limiting increases in wages and prices. It is a principal......
Wagner, Robert F.
Robert F. Wagner was a U.S. senator and leading architect of the modern welfare state. Wagner arrived in the United......
Waldeck-Rousseau, René
René Waldeck-Rousseau was a politician who, as premier of France, settled the Dreyfus Affair. He was also responsible......
Walker, Francis A.
Francis A. Walker was an American economist and statistician who broadened and helped modernize the character and......
Walras, Léon
Léon Walras was a French-born economist whose work Éléments d’économie politique pure (1874–77; Elements of Pure......
wampum
wampum, tubular shell beads that have been assembled into strings or woven into belts or embroidered ornaments,......
war finance
war finance, fiscal and monetary methods that are used in meeting the costs of war, including taxation, compulsory......
Ward, Barbara, Baroness Jackson
Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson was a British economist and writer. After studying economics at the University of......
Warsh, Kevin
Kevin Warsh is a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (the Fed) and served as an economic policy......
Washington Consensus
Washington Consensus, a set of economic policy recommendations for developing countries, and Latin America in particular,......
Wałęsa, Lech
Lech Wałęsa is a labor activist who helped form and lead communist Poland’s first independent trade union, Solidarity,......
wealth and income, distribution of
distribution of wealth and income, the way in which the wealth and income of a nation are divided among its population,......
Weather Underground
Weather Underground, militant group of young white Americans formed in 1969 that grew out of the anti-Vietnam War......
Weber, Max
Max Weber was a German sociologist and political economist best known for his thesis of the “Protestant ethic,”......
Welensky, Sir Roy
Sir Roy Welensky was a Northern Rhodesian trade unionist and statesman who helped found the Federation of Rhodesia......
welfare economics
welfare economics, branch of economics that seeks to evaluate economic policies in terms of their effects on the......
Wells, David Ames
David Ames Wells was a popular American writer on science and economics who, as chairman of the National Revenue......
What Did We Call America’s Elite Before the “1 Percent”?
Astor. Rockefeller. Kennedy. Bezos. In 2011 the Occupy Wall Street protest movement spread the term 1 percent in......
What Is a Cashless Society and How Does It Work?
A cashless society is one in which cash, in the form of physical banknotes and coins, is not accepted in any financial......
What is fiscal policy and how does it affect the economy?
Fiscal policy refers to the spending programs and tax policies that the government uses to guide the economy. Governments......
What Was the Super Bowl’s First Blockbuster Commercial?
It’s 1984. More than 77 million Americans—nearly one-third of the country—are tuned in to their televisions to......
What Will Be Used for Money After Bills and Coins?
Money, it has been said, is “a social convention.” Everyone agrees some pieces of paper or discs of metal issued......
What’s the Difference Between a Résumé and a CV?
Preparing a summary of work experience and skills is a critical part of the job-seeking process. But for young......
white paper
white paper, an authoritative report detailing an issue, position, problem, solution, or even a commercial product......
Whitley Council
Whitley Council, in Great Britain, any of the bodies made up of representatives of labour and management for the......
wholesale price index
wholesale price index, measure of changes in the prices charged by manufacturers and wholesalers. Wholesale price......
wholesaling
wholesaling, the selling of merchandise to anyone other than a retail customer. The merchandise may be sold to......
Why Are so Many Companies Incorporated in Delaware?
Delaware is home to more than half of all Fortune 500 companies, but it is not because of tax breaks or proximity......
Why Is a Dollar Called a Buck?
The word buck as a term for the U.S. dollar dates back to the 1700s, when deer hides, or buckskins, were often......
Why Is Benjamin Franklin on the Hundred Dollar Bill?
Benjamin Franklin appears on the $100 bill not because he was a president—he wasn’t—but because of the role he......
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
The day following Thanksgiving—commonly referred to as Black Friday—has become one of the busiest shopping days......
Wicksell, Knut
Knut Wicksell was a Swedish economist, the foremost in his generation and internationally renowned for his pioneering......
Wicksteed, Philip Henry
Philip Henry Wicksteed was a British economist, classicist, literary critic, and theologian. Wicksteed, who was......
Wieser, Friedrich von
Friedrich von Wieser was an economist who was one of the principal members of the Austrian school of economics,......
wildcat bank
wildcat bank, unsound bank chartered under state law during the period of uncontrolled state banking (1816–63)......
wildcat strike
wildcat strike, work stoppage undertaken by employees without the consent of their respective unions. Such strikes......
William I
William I was the king of the Netherlands and grand duke of Luxembourg (1815–40) who sparked a commercial and industrial......
Williams, John Henry
John Henry Williams was an American economist, banker, and government adviser who achieved world renown as an expert......
Williams, Roy Lee
Roy Lee Williams was an American union leader, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (1981–83)......
Williamson, Oliver E.
Oliver E. Williamson was an American social scientist who, with Elinor Ostrom, was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize......
Wilson, Robert B.
Robert B. Wilson is an American economist who, with Paul Milgrom, was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Economics......
Winners of the Nobel Prize for Economics
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was established in 1968 by the Bank......
Winstanley, Gerrard
Gerrard Winstanley was a leader and theoretician of the group of English agrarian communists known as the Diggers,......
Witte, Sergey Yulyevich, Graf
Sergey Yulyevich, Count Witte was a Russian minister of finance (1892–1903) and the first constitutional prime......
Wolfensohn, James
James Wolfensohn was an Australian-born American banker who served as president of the World Bank (1995–2005),......
Women’s Trade Union League
Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL), American organization, the first national association dedicated to organizing......
won
won, monetary units of South Korea and North Korea. The Bank of Korea has the exclusive authority to issue banknotes......
Woodbury, Helen Laura Sumner
Helen Laura Sumner Woodbury was an American economist whose investigative work centred largely on historical and......
Woodcock, George
George Woodcock was an English labour leader who was general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from......
work
work, in economics and sociology, the activities and labour necessary to the survival of society. What follows......
work, history of the organization of
history of the organization of work, history of the methods by which society structures the activities and labour......
workers’ compensation
workers’ compensation, social welfare program through which employers bear some of the cost of their employees’......
Workers’ Opposition
Workers’ Opposition, in the history of the Soviet Union, a group within the Communist Party that achieved prominence......
World Bank
World Bank, international organization affiliated with the United Nations (UN) and designed to finance projects......
World Confederation of Labour
World Confederation of Labour (WCL), labour confederation founded as the International Federation of Christian......
World Federation of Trade Unions
World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), leftist-oriented international labour organization founded in 1945 by......
world’s fair
world’s fair, large international exhibition of a wide variety of industrial, scientific, and cultural items that......
Writers’ Union of the U.S.S.R.
Writers’ Union of the U.S.S.R., organization formed in 1932 by a decree of the Central Committee of the Communist......

Economics & Economic Systems Encyclopedia Articles By Title