Circular flow describes how a market economy works. A market economy is one in which individuals influence directly what is produced, marketed, and consumed. Individuals do this by spending money on what they want. This then directs producers to produce goods and services that individuals will consume. The amount of goods and services that are made available is related to the laws of supply and demand.

A model that best depicts how goods and services flow in exchange for money is called the circular flow model, shown in Figure 1.

Participation

The primary participants in the circular flow of goods and services are businesses and households. Households are made up of individuals who both spend money and are the recipients of money. Businesses do the same—they spend money and also receive money from households. It is important to note that the flow of goods and services...