EconLearn
AP Micro & MacroEconomic Systems & Schools of Thought

Market Economy

A market economy is a system in which production and prices are determined by the free interaction of supply and demand.

Decisions are decentralized: buyers and sellers responding to prices coordinate the economy, as if by an 'invisible hand.' It contrasts with a command economy. Pure market economies are rare; most are mixed.

Related terms

AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, EconLearn.