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National Income — full notes

Economics · Macroeconomics - National Income

National Income

1. Definition and the circular flow of income

National income is the total value of goods and services produced by an economy in a given period, usually a year.

The circular flow of income: households supply factors of production to firms, firms pay income (wages, rent, interest, profit) in return; households spend that income buying goods from firms. Leakages (savings, taxes, imports) remove money from the flow; injections (investment, government spending, exports) add money back in.

2. Methods of measuring national income

MethodApproach
Income methodSum all factor incomes - wages + rent + interest + profit
Output methodSum the value added at each stage of production
Expenditure methodSum all spending - C + I + G + (X - M)
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