Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Circular Flow of Income

This model provides an illustration of the flow of money around an economy. Firms pay households for their factors of production (labour, land and capital) and households pay firms for goods and services. Income 'flows' in a circle.

Factors of production

Factors of production

  • Households own the factors of production that firms need to produce goods and services, so firms pay households to use them.
    • Labour is paid for in wages.
    • Land is paid for in rent.
    • Capital is paid for in interest.
  • The owner of the firm earns profit. Because the owner is from a household, the profits also go to households as payment for 'enterprise'.

Income vs Wealth

Income is the flow of money received, and wealth is the sum of the value of all assets.

What is income?

What is income?

  • Income is a flow of money, often measured on a monthly or annual basis.
What is wealth?

What is wealth?

  • Wealth is the sum of all assets, including pensions, money in the bank, financial investments, and the value of a home.
Factors influencing distribution of income/wealth

Factors influencing distribution of income/wealth

  • Taxation policy: regressive policies will tend to increase the income and wealth gap between different groups in a country. Progressive taxation policies will reduce the gap.
  • The differences in wage between low and high skilled labour.
  • The level of discrimination against different groups of workers.
  • Regional differences in earnings.
  • Unsalaried individuals depending on state benefits.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction to Markets

2

Market Failure

3

The UK Macroeconomy

4

The UK Economy - Policies

5

Business Behaviour

6

Market Structures

7

A Global Perspective

8

Finance & Inequality

9

Examples of Global Policy

Practice questions on National Income

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
Answer all questions on National Income

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium