What are some examples of capitalist countries?

Capitalism is an economic system and not a political system. Countries thus do not (typically) enshrine capitalism as a part of their constitutional framework, nor do they typically limit policy choices to capitalism. However, the vast majority of countries (almost all liberal democracies and most authoritarian systems) in the world use capitalism as their dominant economic system, including the United States, Canada and Mexico, all of the 27 countries of the European Union (Ireland, UK, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Louxembourg, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Malta, Cyprus, Austria, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Greece), as well as many, many other countries (such as Australia, Japan, India, Egypt, Tunisia, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Russia, Turkey etc. etc.). Even some countries which in-name follow different economic systems (such as China, claiming to have a "communist economy with Chinese characteristics") are capitalist (i.e. have most of the output coming from industries in private property trading and setting prices on a free market by the laws of supply and demand, and have a legal framework geared to protecting and encouraging such a system of production). It is actually easier to count countries that are not capitalist (such as North Korea, Cuba or most of Vietnam), or still have some way to go until ancient economic structures make way for capitalism (such as in Bhutan or in significant parts of Sub-Saharan Africa). World trade overall, and the international economy is capitalist overall (international prices and company values are established in stock and mercantile exchanges such as NYSE or NYMEX with international overseeing from institutions such as the WTO) Answer:

The United States of America. Brazil Japan Sudan Sweden Colombia

Note: It's also worth mentioning that while most countries embrace the fundamentals of capitalism, there is no example of pure capitalism in the world. The economies of the

countries listed above are considered "mixed economies" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_economy). If an economy is analyzed in the capitalism-socialism spectrum, most countries, including the United States, would appear closer to the middle.

Is India a capitalist country? Using Wikipedia as reference, the definition of capitalism is: "An economic and social system in which capital and land, the nonlabor factors of production (also known as the means of production), are privately owned; labor, goods and resources are traded in markets; and profit, after taxes, is distributed to the owners or invested in technologies and, industries." With the aforesaid definition in mind, India can be listed as a capitalist nation. However with that said, I must add, a rather crony capitalist nation. Heavy taxation and government regulation of the market have led to a rather mixed-economy, which is now neither strictly capitalist or socialist-inspired. India's economy has reformed since 1991, before which it was a socialist-inspired system characterized by extensive regulation, protectionism and public ownership. Since 1991, economic liberalization has led to a market-based system. However, income taxes are imposed on taxable income of individuals, Hindu Undivided Families, companies, firms, co-operative societies, trusts and any other artificial person*. The levy of these taxes is governed by the Indian Income Tax Act of 1961. Apart from the income taxes, numerous regulatory taxes are also imposed upon trade. This includes duties of customs (including export duties), duties of excise on listed goods manufactured in India, Corporation taxes, taxes on capital, estate duties, duties in respect of succession, terminal taxes on goods and passengers carried by railway, sea or air, stamp duties, taxes on transactions in stock exchange(s), taxes on the sale or purchase of newspapers

and on advertisements published therein, taxes on sale or purchase of goods other than newspapers, taxes on the consignment of goods, land revenue, taxes on agricultural income (income in the form of harvest), taxes on mineral rights, taxes on entry of goods into a local area for consumption or use or sale, taxes on the consumption or sale of electricity, taxes on all forms of advertisement, taxes on automobiles and vehicles, taxes on animals and boats, tolls, taxes on profession, trades, callings and employments, capitation taxes, taxes on luxuries, including taxes on amusement, entertainment or betting and gambling, service taxes, sales taxes and so on. You get the idea, hopefully. *artificial person: a corporation or politic body, representing a unified front as an individual, more commonly called a "legal person". This term is used in contrast to a natural, or real person.

Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system in which private people, not the government, own and run companies. These companies compete with other companies for business. They decide what products they want to produce, how much they should cost and where to sell them. Companies do all these things in order to make profits for their owners. ccccc Even though a pure form of capitalism does not exist and governments control the economy in some ways it remains the worlds most popular economic system. In the United States the government keeps itself out of the economy as far as possible but in some European countries economic control is much larger. Other names for capitalism are free-market economy or free enterprise.

Features of capitalism

In a capitalist system private households need goods. They buy these goods from the income that they have. Some households have more income than others. Sometimes only one member of a

household has a job, at other times both husband and wife go to work. Then they have more money to buy goods. This is the demand side of the economy. On the other side companies and businesses offer private households goods and services. They produce the goods that they think consumers will want to buy. To do this they need workers to produce these goods and services. This is the supply side of the economy. Companies and households get together at markets. Here they exchange goods, services and jobs (labour). A market is a place where people buy and sell things. In a capitalist society the prices of goods, services and labour are determined by supply and demand. If a lot of people want to buy a certain product its price will go up. Products that are mass produced usually have low prices.

Another important feature of capitalism is competition. Many companies may sell the same type of product. Companies will try to sell better products at a cheaper price so that they can get consumers to buy their products. Firms that cannot compete are very often driven out of business. The same can be said about wages. In some cases businesses have to pay workers more money to get them to work. In other cases low paid work often exists in areas where there are more workers than are needed.

How governments regulate the economy

In todays world governments get involved in the economy in certain ways and leaders must often make economic decisions. A government must make sure that there is enough competition to keep prices low the quality products high. If only a few companies produce products they may agree to keep prices high. In a monopoly, only one company produces goods and services that everybody needs, so it can set the price. In the second half of the 19th century companies started to get bigger and bigger by taking over smaller ones. Soon these so-called trusts had a lot of power and controlled the market and the prices. At the beginning of the 20th century the United States passed a law which helped smaller companies survive. Business leaders often do not care about what their decisions may do to our society. For example, a factory may pollute a river by pouring dirty water into it. It is the job of government organizations to make sure that this does not happen. The state of economy is not the same all the time. Normally, there are always ups and downs. Sometimes the economy of a country is in good condition, everybody has enough money and lots of goods are produced. On the other side there may be years in which there are a lot of unemployed people and factories cannot sell their products. The business cycle shows the economy in four phases.

Some experts believe that the government must stabilize and help the economy in bad times. It should lower taxes and interest rates so that people can borrow money more easily.

In capitalist countries some are very rich and can afford to buy everything. Others have little money and need clothing, food and a place to live. Many European countries have systems in which poor people are helped by the government and richer people have to pay more taxes etc. This system is called social market economy.

History of capitalism

Capitalism has existed since ancient times. But it became important in the 15th and 16th centuries with the growth of trade, industry and banking. Until the 1700s governments encouraged their population to make more money by selling goods to other countries. Imported goods were made more expensive so that countries could sell their own products. This became known as mercantilism. The Industrial Revolution (1760) brought changes to the economies of many countries. Factory owners did not want governments to control trade any more. They wanted to run their companies by themselves. This idea became known as laissez-faire, which means allow to do in French. In his book, The Wealth of Nations, British economist Adam Smith described how laissez faire should. Great Britain became the first country to change its laws and allow free trade. During this period countries produced more and more products and goods and many capitalists became rich. However, normal workers did not earn very much and had to work up to 16 hours a day, sometimes in dangerous places. These problems led to the creation of trade unions, which protected workers. In the middle of the 19 th century socialism became popular. The German Karl Marx suggested that the government should take over and control the economy. It should own all the land, the factories and companies. In a socialist economy the government tries to spread money evenly among the workers. Many countries followed these socialist ideas, which later on led to Communism. Capitalism almost collapsed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Many banks, factories and stores had to close and millions of people lost their jobs. Many did not believe in capitalism any more. As a result the British economist John Maynard Keynes argued that the government had to do something to fight depression. In America Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced a program called New Deal in which he gave Americans help that they needed in bad times. Today Keynes theory is widely accepted and modern countries combine capitalism with some kind of government control. The state may own industries that are important to the countrys economy, like oil wells, banks or airlines. Most people feel that free market economy should remain but the government should still be around to see that economic rules are kept.

The word meaning

accept =recognize, agree to afford = if you have enough money that you can buy the things you need agree = if two or more people have the same opinion about something ancient = old argue = to say things that others dont think are right business = company business cycle = the ups and downs of the economy over a certain time certain =special collapse = break down combine = mix compete = to try to get people to buy your goods and not the ones from other companies competition =a situation in which people or organizations try to be more successful than other people or organizations condition = same as state consumer = someone who buys and uses products and services creation =the making of decision =what someone chooses to do or decides demand =the need to have certain things depression = when an economy almost breaks down completely describe = tell, show, explain determine = here: control drive out of business = if you have to stop producing things because you cannot compete with others earn = to get money for the work you have done economic =financial economist = a person who knows a lot about how business works economy = the system of producing goods and selling them encourage = to tell someone they should do something that is good evenly = to give everyone the same exchange = to give and get things exist = to be here expert = person who knows a lot about something factory = building where you produce goods feature = the main ideas of free enterprise = to allow companies and business to operate without much control free trade = if you can buy and sell things freely in your country and in other countries goods = things that are produced so that you can sell them government = the leaders who rule a country

Great Depression = the bad times that followed the stock market crash in 1929 growth =development income = the money you get when you have a job and work interest rate =the percentage that you have to give a bank when you get money from it or the money that you get from the bank when you keep money there involve =to get mixed up in ; to be a part of labour = work law = the set of rules a country has lead to =to make something happen monopoly = if one company, government or person controls everything offer = to give people the things that they want oil wells = large structures you use to pump oil out of the earth own = to have something that belongs to you owner = a person whom something belongs to pollute = to make dirty popular = liked by a lot of people population = the people who live in a country pour =to make water flow into it private household = people who live privately in one house profit = the money you get from selling things after you have paid your costs protect =guard, defend pure =unmixed, real remain = stay run = to be in charge of , to control services =work that you do for a person or an organization social market economy = economy in which the government takes more money away from richer people and helps poorer ones society =people, the general public spread =give stabilize = here: to stop the economy from getting worse state = condition, situation state = country suggest =recommend, give advice supply =amount of goods that can be sold supply and demand =difference between the amount of goods that are produced and the amount that people want to buy survive = to continue to exist, live on take over = to take control of something or buy a company tax = money that everybody must pay to the government trade = to buy and sell things trade union = organization that helps workers and defends them against company owners trust = here: a group of companies that work together so that smaller companies cannot compete with them unemployed = if you do not have a job or are out of work wage =money you earn in a week or month