Everyone who first gets acquainted with the economy is interested in the question of what infrastructure is. In fact, everything is as complicated as it seems at first glance, and a hard-to-pronounce word is a combination of various objects that ensure the activity of a certain sphere.
Types of infrastructure
Dealing with the question of what infrastructure is, it should be noted that everything depends on the sphere in question. So, they distinguish between transport, social, road, innovation, market, infrastructure of the enterprise, city and a separate system.
For the first time the concept of "infrastructure" appeared in the economy in the 40s of the last century. Then, with the development of industry, it was necessary to choose a term that would combine all the facilities serving production. This included highways, canals, ports, bridges, warehouses, communications, utilities, vocational education and so on - in general, everything that is needed to create products.
Species definition
What is social infrastructure? This question should be answered this way: it is a system of facilities that provide for the needs of the population, the necessary level and quality of life, and professional training for various sectors of the national economy.
In general, social, transport and engineering infrastructures constitute a complex of buildings and communications serving the population of objects, without which it is impossible to have a single city or even a simple settlement.
Recently, there has been an unprecedented interest in what information infrastructure is. This concept arose with the development of information technologies, which today are fundamental in any field. The combination of data banks, knowledge, networks, communications, ports, cables and so on makes up this type of infrastructure.
Market Infrastructure
As you know, the market is a meeting place for seller and buyer. But for this process to take place, it is necessary to take into account many factors and ensure a complete set with all the necessary elements, goods and money. Thus, we can say that market infrastructure is a combination of various objects, organizational and legal norms, enterprises and organizations that determine the environment of existence of the seller and the buyer.
Items
All the main elements of market infrastructure can be divided into 4 groups:
1. First group - These are all organizational and technical objects, which include commodity exchanges, trading houses, exhibitions and fairs, brokerage companies, transport services.
2. Second group - These are information research centers. This includes institutions involved in market problems and studying its dynamics, firms providing consulting and marketing services, training institutions and even the media.
3. A separate group financial and credit organizations (stock and currency exchanges, insurance companies, banks and funds).
4. And the last group of elements is legislative environment, which includes all the documents and regulations governing and controlling the market. They can be issued by both national and municipal authorities.
The objects
Infrastructure objects as the main components of the market will vary depending on what sphere they serve. Consider a few specific examples.
Thus, employment centers are objects for the labor market, in the consumer goods market, the main elements will be shops, supermarkets, supermarkets and other retail outlets. Consider the following table, which determines which infrastructure objects belong to a particular market.
Infrastructure development plays a key role in the country's economy. It contributes to the growth of business activity, represents the foundation for investment, contributes to the growth of employment. In many developed countries, the level of investment in market facilities is 65-80%, and this is a powerful engine for timely economic growth. Market infrastructure is the most important mechanism that forms a single space for conducting business activities.