law of markets

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The law of markets is an economic principle, commonly associated with classical economist Jean-Baptiste Say, which posits that aggregate supply inherently creates an equivalent level of aggregate demand.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf economic principle
macroeconomic theory concept
alsoKnownAs Say's law NERFINISHED
Say’s Law of Markets NERFINISHED
appliesTo aggregate level of the economy
associatedSchool classical economics
associatedWith Jean-Baptiste Say NERFINISHED
assumes competitive markets
flexible prices and wages
money is neutral in the long run
savings are automatically translated into investment via interest rate adjustments
contrastedWith Keynesian economics NERFINISHED
coreClaim aggregate supply creates its own aggregate demand
general overproduction in the whole economy is impossible in the long run
production is the source of demand
criticizedBy John Maynard Keynes NERFINISHED
criticizedIn The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money NERFINISHED
debatedBy David Ricardo NERFINISHED
Thomas Robert Malthus NERFINISHED
doesNotDeny possibility of sectoral overproduction
possibility of temporary gluts in specific markets
domain economic theory
macroeconomics
focusesOn relationship between aggregate supply and aggregate demand
formulatedBy Jean-Baptiste Say NERFINISHED
historicalContext developed in the early 19th century
implies markets tend toward full employment if prices and wages are flexible
unsold goods result from misallocation of production, not from a deficiency of aggregate demand
influenced 19th-century debates on crises and gluts
classical macroeconomic thought
laissez-faire policy arguments
views minimizing the role of government in stabilizing demand
KeynesianCritique aggregate demand can be insufficient to purchase full-employment output
economies can experience prolonged underemployment equilibria
languageOfOrigin French
modernInterpretation often reformulated in terms of long-run supply-side orientation of growth models
modernView considered an oversimplification of aggregate demand dynamics by most economists
originalFormulationContext analysis of industrial and commercial markets in early 19th-century France
policyImplication emphasis on encouraging production and supply
limited need for government demand management
relatedConcept Say’s equality NERFINISHED
Say’s identity NERFINISHED
classical dichotomy
usedToSupport arguments against the possibility of chronic general gluts
arguments for self-correcting markets

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Say's law alsoKnownAs law of markets