How are decisions made in a command communist economy?
Christopher Ramos
Updated on February 27, 2026
In a command economy (also known as a planned economy), government central planners determine what goods and services will be produced, the amount of goods and services produced, and at what cost to the consumer. All decisions are made by the government and all businesses are controlled by the government.
Who decides what goods are made and offered for sale in free market economies?
In a market economy, the producer gets to decide what to produce, how much to produce, what to charge customers for those goods, and what to pay employees. These decisions in a (3) free-market economy are influenced by the pressures of competition, supply, and demand.
Who decides in planned economy?
In a planned economy central planners (rather than tradition or market forces) decide most matters of production and distribution.
How does a command economy decide what to produce?
In a command economy, the government controls major aspects of economic production. The government decides the means of production and owns the industries that produce goods and services for the public. In this case, the government will produce more military items and allocate much of its resources to do this.
Why a command economy is bad?
Command economy advantages include low levels of inequality and unemployment, and the common objective of replacing profit as the primary incentive of production. Command economy disadvantages include lack of competition and lack of efficiency.
What does it mean to have a command economy?
By Investopedia. Updated Jun 25, 2019. A command economy is an economic system in which the government, or the central planner, determines what goods and services should be produced, the supply that should be produced, and the price of goods and services.
Who are the primary producers in a command economy?
The primary group for whom goods and services are produced in a traditional economy is the tribe or family group. In a command economy, the central government decides what goods and services will be produced, what wages will be paid to workers, what jobs the workers do, as well as the prices of goods.
Why are command economies unable to allocate goods?
Command economies are unable to efficiently allocate goods because of the knowledge problem, or the central planner’s inability to discern how much of a good should be produced. Shortages and surpluses are common consequences of command economies.
How are central planners involved in the command economy?
Central planners must somehow calculate how much of each good and service in the economy to produce and deliver; by who and to whom; where and when to do so; and which technologies, methods, and combinations of specific types of productive factors (land, labor, and capital) to use.