In a two-sector economy, there are only two key economic agents: firms and households. Firms are responsible for producing goods and services that are sold in the market, while households provide labor and other factors of production, such as land, capital, and entrepreneurship, to the firms.
The interaction between these two sectors forms the basis of a simple economic model. Households supply their labor and other resources to firms in exchange for income, typically in the form of wages, rents, and profits. This income is then spent by households on the goods and services produced by the firms, creating a circular flow of money within the economy.
In this model, the economy’s output is determined by the productive capacity of the firms, while the consumption decisions of households influence the demand for goods and services. This basic structure helps economists analyze economic behavior in a simplified way, though more complex models typically involve additional sectors like government and foreign trade.