Society & Economy
Governments, money, rights and the institutions people live under.
Featured in Society & Economy
Start with these, then follow the links inside each article wherever they lead.
Democracy
Democracy is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a certain state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitive elections while more expansive or maximalist definitions link democracy to guarantees of civil liberties and human rights in addition to competitive elections.
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and its use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically in several stages and is defined by a number of constituent elements: private property, profit motive, capital accumulation, competitive markets, commodification, wage labor, and an emphasis on innovation and economic growth.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social theories and movements associated with the implementation of such systems.
Human rights
Human rights are moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning they belong to every individual simply by virtue of being human.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations on 26 June 1945 with the articulated mission of maintaining international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among states, to promote international cooperation, and to serve as a centre for harmonizing the actions of states in achieving those goals. The United Nations headquarters is located in New York City, with several other offices located in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that codifies some of the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a United Nations (UN) committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was accepted by the General Assembly as Resolution 217 during its third session on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, France.
Globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. It can be attributed to a series of factors, including the reduction of barriers to international trade, the liberalization of capital movements, the development of transportation infrastructure, and the advancement of information and communication technologies.
Inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money, though it originally referred to the increase of the money supply that can cause such a universal shift. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI).
Supply and demand
In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It postulates that, holding all else equal, the unit price for a particular good or other traded item in a perfectly competitive market, will vary until it settles at the market-clearing price, where the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied such that an economic equilibrium is achieved for price and quantity transacted.
Urbanization
Urbanization is the process by which human settlements are formed and become larger as more people live, recreate and work in cities and towns. It describes the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies and culture adapt to this change.
Education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education happens in a complex institutional framework, like public schools.
Public health
Public health is "the science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the determinants of health of a population and the threats it faces is the basis for public health.
Magna Carta
Magna Carta, sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights sealed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton, to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel barons who demanded that the King confirm the Charter of Liberties, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift and impartial justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.
Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
European Union
The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated population of just under 452 million as of 2026, its member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around €18.802 trillion in 2025, accounting for approximately one sixth of global economic output.
Money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payment.
Stock market
A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks, which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include securities listed on a public stock exchange as well as stock that is only traded privately, such as shares of private companies that are sold to investors through equity crowdfunding platforms. Investments are usually made with an investment strategy in mind.
Trade
Trade is the act by which people swap something of value to obtain another valuable item. It involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity (seller) to another (buyer), often in exchange for money.
Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and enforced by governmental or societal institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the art of justice.
Feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern societies are patriarchal, they prioritize the male point of view, and that women are treated unjustly in these societies.
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans. The movement had origins in the Reconstruction era in the late 19th century, and modern roots in the 1940s and in Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent movement in India.
Welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for citizens unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. There is substantial variability in the form and trajectory of the welfare state across countries and regions.
Population
Population may refer to:
Language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing.
Tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate economic activity through measures designed to mitigate negative externalities. Tax compliance refers to policy actions and individual behavior aimed at ensuring that taxpayers are paying the right amount of tax at the right time and securing the correct tax allowances and tax relief.
Central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, state bank, or monetary authority is a financial institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the monetary base.
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product is a monetary measure of the total market value of all of the final goods and services which are produced and rendered during a specific period of time (usually a year) by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic activity of a country or region.
Monarchy
A monarchy is a hereditary arrangement in which the position of head of state, which may or may not be associated with political power, is legally passed on to a family member of the monarch, a head of state who reigns for life. While most monarchs gain their position based on various hereditary succession laws, they can occasionally gain their authority via election.
Parliament
A parliament is a type of legislature, or law-making body, of a state. Generally, a parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the executive government via hearings and inquiries.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums. In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vote is called active suffrage, as distinct from passive suffrage, which is the right to stand for election.
Trade union
A trade union or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions and safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing the status of employees (including rules on promotions and just-cause conditions for termination), and protecting and increasing the bargaining power of workers. Trade unions typically fund their head office and legal team functions through regularly imposed fees called union dues.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is a type of digital asset that uses distributed ledger, or blockchain, technology to enable a secure transaction. Individual coin ownership records are stored in a digital ledger or blockchain, which is a computerized database that uses a consensus mechanism to secure transaction records, control the creation of additional coins, and verify the transfer of coin ownership.
Poverty
Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. It can have diverse environmental, legal, social, economic, and political causes and effects.
Human migration
Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another, with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location. The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another (external migration), but internal migration (within a single country) is the dominant form of human migration globally.
Rule of law
The rule of law is a political and legal principle that generally entails and ensures that the law is clear, consistent and open; individuals and groups have access to justice; and that government institutions (such as the executive, legislature and judiciary) are subject to the law. It entails that all people and institutions within a political body are subject to the same law.
Journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on events, facts, ideas, and people that constitute the "news of the day" and inform society with a commitment to accuracy and verification. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation, the methods of gathering information, and the organizing literary styles.
Guides in Society & Economy
Supply, demand and what prices are really doing
How markets set prices, what shifts a curve, and why price controls produce predictable side effects.
Money, inflation and how banks create deposits
What money is, where inflation comes from, and the mechanics people most often get wrong.
How governments are structured
Branches, constitutions, electoral systems, and how the design choices change political outcomes.
International trade and globalisation
Why countries trade, what comparative advantage means, and who wins and loses as the world economy integrates.
Personal finance basics
Budgeting, interest, debt, saving and risk explained in plain terms, with the principles that apply everywhere.