WORTH AS AN ECONOMIC ESTIMATION

Abstract

The study analyzes some methodological issues of worth as a fundamental concept of economic theory. The author’s main idea is that worth, besides having substantial nature, is an economic estimation, which economic units (participants in economic life, economic agents) give to the ability of goods to ensure people’s and society’s existence and reproduction. A methodological basis is created for operationalizing the worth economic estimation, as it is viewed as equivalent to the assessment of the economic activity carried out by economic units in the creation of economic stocks (availabilities) (incl. factors and products), the assimilation of which meets the needs. The author maintains his view of worth as an essential unity of value and utility. He uses the ingredient approach proposed by him resulting in the creation of a network of a large number of worth formations (forms), based on several initial couples of concepts such as: value and utility, accepted and given worth, producer’s and consumer’s worth, production factor worth (labour and physical) and product worth, economic potentiality and economic kyneticality, producer’s abilities and producer’s needs, etc. Not only does the study enrich economic thought but it can also serve as a source for precision of many economic issues adopted in the teaching of general economic theory.