Which economic idea best reflects one of Adam Smith's major beliefs? A. Governments should prioritize acquiring precious metals like gold.
B. Governments should protect workers by supporting labor unions.
C. Governments should avoid interfering in economic activities.
D. Governments should always provide economic aid to the poor.

B. Governments should protect workers by supporting labor unions.

Explanation:

  Aspects of Adam Smith’s Theory:  The crucial aspects of development theory as propounded by Adam Smith are – (1) division of labour and (2) capital accumulation. Productivity of labors increases through division of labour. The two factors that facilitate the use of more division of labour are capital accumulation and size of market. We explain below these factors in detail. Also learn about the relevance of Adam Smith’s Theory to developing countries.

1. Division of Labour:  A very important contribution made by Adam Smith to the analysis of the factors that bring about expansion of output is the division of labour. His treatment of this aspect of production is classic. He pointed out that there was a natural tendency among human beings “to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.” Among the benefits of division of labour he refers to increase in dexterity, saving in time, and invention of better machines and appliances. But Adam Smith points out that the degree of division of labour is limited by the extent of the market. Division of labour is profitable only if there is adequate market for the goods produced. He, thus, emphasized the expansion of international trade, which widens market for goods.  One of the most significant contributions to economics by Adam Smith was to introduce the idea of increasing returns caused by division of labour. He thought the gain from by division of labour or specialization was a basic feature of social economy otherwise everyone, like Robinson Crusoe, will produce everything they want for themselves. Thus Thirlwall writes, “It is the notion of increasing returns, based on division of labour that lay at the heart of Adam Smith’s optimistic vision of economic progress as a self-generating process, in contrast to later classical economists who believed that economies would end up in a stationary state owing to diminishing returns in agriculture.”  Given the crucial significance of increasing returns based on division of labour, productivity of labour rises with the increase in the size of market. Along with division of labour it is acceleration of investment or capital accumulation that leads to the increase in growth of output and living standards of people. It is worth noting that Adam Smith expressed the view that industry generally permitted greater scope for division of labour or specialization than agriculture and, therefore, in rich developed countries industrialization had taken place to a greater extent. Another important related notion put forward by Adam Smith was that division of labour is limited by the size of market’. If the extent of market is small, it will not be profitable to produce on a large scale which requires introducing a higher degree of division of labour or specialization.  This is because if size of market for a good (i.e., the magnitude of demand for it) is quite small, it will not be profitable to introduce a higher degree of division of labour along with the use of large capital stock. In the absence of adequate demand, only a little degree of division of labour or specialization can be used and a good deal of capital stock is likely to remain underutilized. It is in this context that he advocated for free international trade which leads to the increase in the extent of market for goods and makes their production on a large scale profitable and induces the capitalist class to accumulate more capital.

2. Accumulation of Capital:  Besides, capital accumulation, according to Smith, facilitates a greater degree of division of labour which causes productivity of labour to rise. Without capital accumulation the extent of division of labour cannot be increased much. Increase in capital formation leads to the production of different types of specialized equipment which are operated by different classes of workers who are skilled and specialized in various tasks. Thus, capital accumulation along with division of labour leads to the increase in industrial output and employment.

most cajuns resided in acadiana, where their descendants are still predominant

in the united states a public policy is an agreed upon way that our federal, state, or local government fulfills its responsibilities, such as protecting the rights of individuals and promoting the welfare of all the people. some public policies are written into laws by legislatures. other policies are contained in rules and regulations created by executive branches of government, the branches responsible for carrying out and enforcing laws.

the following are examples of public policies and the governmental agencies responsible for carrying them out.

school districts are responsible for making policies regarding student behavior and discipline. teachers and school administrators enforce these policies. state legislatures are responsible for making laws that place speed limits on drivers. police officers enforce these laws. city governments often adopt policies that prohibit people from operating liquor stores near public schools. city inspectors and zoning departments enforce these policies.

when people become aware of problems in their communities, they often want government to develop and carry out policies to deal with those problems. these may be problems for which there are

existing policies or laws that do not work well,

existing policies or laws that are not being enforced,

no policies or laws.

as a citizen of the united states you have a right to say what you think government should do about problems in your community. you also have a right to say what you think about problems in your state, the nation, and about international problems. you have the right to try to influence the decisions people in your government make about all of those problems.

to be able to participate effectively, however, citizens need to know which levels of government and which governmental agencies are responsible for changing, enforcing, or developing a specific public policy. for example, state legislatures may direct agencies to enact policies resulting from federal legislation. or, local governments may create policies in order to carry out responsibilities assigned to them through laws enacted at the state or federal level. additionally, as part of the process of developing and implementing policy, governmental agencies must determine if the new policy conflicts with existing legislation or policy.

this project is intended to you learn how to express your opinions, how to decide which level of government and which agency is most appropriate for dealing with the problem you identify, and how to influence policy decisions at that level of government. it calls for you to work cooperatively with others in your class and, with the of your teacher and adult volunteers, to accomplish the following tas