The proposition that it is the tastes of consumers rather than the preferences of producers which determine what goods are provided. This is contrasted with the theory of producer dominance: industry decides what to produce and advertising brainwashes consumers into buying it. Neither view is completely justified: in a market economy consumers cannot be compelled to buy any particular goods, and many new products and new brands of existing products fail to secure a market share. On the other hand consumers can only choose between the goods which are made available to them. In most countries both producers and consumers are constrained by numerous laws concering health and safety and consumer protection.

• credit cycle
• creditor nation
• creditors
• credit rating
• credit-rating agency
• credit rationing
• credit restriction
• credit risk, counter-party
• credit squeeze
• credit standing
• creditworthiness
• creeping inflation
• crisis
• criteria, convergence
• criterion, welfare
• critical path analysis
• cross-elasticity of demand
• cross-holding
• cross-holding of shares
• cross-partial derivative
• cross-price elasticity
• cross-section data
• cross-subsidization
• crowding out
• CSO