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National Income Accounting in Economics: Definition, Uses & Equation
What Is National Income Accounting?
Meet Bridget! Bridget has decided to go back to school to earn a college degree. While going to college has always been important to her, she isn't sure which major to pursue. She has interests and hobbies that could advance into some sort of career, but she has yet to find what she's really passionate about. That was, until she saw a program on television that discussed the economy. It went into great depth about the health and well-being of the economy. After a few hours of watching the program, Bridget decided that she would pursue a degree in economics because she wanted to learn more about economic activity.
Specifically, she wanted to know more about national income accounting. National income accounting is a term that refers to measuring the health of an economy, the economic activity, and the forecasted growth and development during a particular time period. Activities such as domestic revenue, wages to foreign and domestic employees, sales, and income taxes are all included. In simple terms, it measures the aggregate (total) output as well as the aggregate income in an economy. Using national income accounting gives us a look at how the economy is performing and where money is being earned and spent.

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Yes! Keep playing.Measuring National Income Accounting
Perhaps the most common way to measure national income accounting is to use gross domestic product (GDP). Gross domestic product looks at the goods and services produced during a particular time within a particular economy. So economists can calculate the GDP for the purposes of national income accounting. The equation often used to calculate GDP is:
GDP = C + I + G + (X - M)
But what do the letters in this equation stand for?
- C = Household spending, which is personal expenditures such as non-durable and durable goods
- I = Capital investment spending, which includes expenditures that add or replace capital stock, such as equipment, plants, and inventories
- G = Government spending on a local, state, and federal level. All purchases of goods and services are included.
- X = Exports of goods and services, which refers to domestic goods that are sold to foreign countries
- M = Imports of goods and services, which are the exact opposite of exports of goods and services. They are those goods that are produced by foreign countries and purchased domestically.
Uses of National Income Accounting
So why would an economist use national income accounting? Why is it important? Let's go through some of the benefits of national income accounting:
- It identifies the strengths and failures of the economy, providing a big picture of how the economy is doing.
- It helps economist understand where to make changes to the economy. Sometimes, the economy may not be doing well, and national income accounting can help pinpoint where the problems may be coming from.
- It provides a picture of income throughout the many areas of production. Since national income accounting takes into account goods and services, looking at production helps economists better understand how well an economy is producing.
- It allows us to make comparisons with other nations.
- It helps us understand individual sectors of the economy and their growth. Since the economy is so large and made of many different parts, national income accounting allows economists to break up the many parts and determine how well they are functioning and growing.
Lesson Summary
National income accounting is a measurement of the overall health of an economy. It helps economists better understand the economy's activities. In order to measure national income accounting, economists often use gross domestic product, applying the formula GDP = C + I + G + (X - M). Some uses of national income accounting include identifying strengths and weaknesses, comparing economies of different nations, and allowing economists to look at the many different sectors of the economy.
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BackNational Income Accounting in Economics: Definition, Uses & Equation
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