The day-to-day living conditions of modern Americans are very different from what they were in the 20th century. While doing research for an economics project, Charlie discovers that more households today, as compared to households 100 years ago, have electricity, air conditioning, and a car.

Which of the following gxplains why modern Americans enjoy a higher standard of living than Americans 100 years ago?

A) Market failures are nonexistent.

B) There has been economic growth in our society.

C) Americans have prospered and earned more money due to a complete lack of recessions.

D) The invisible hand has guided all nations around the world to this prosperity.

B) There has been economic growth in our society.

Explanation:

The American economy has consistently been the largest economy in the world since 1871, while the rest of the economic podium has changed a lot. Currently the Chinese economy is number 2, but just a few years ago the Japanese economy was on second place. The United Kingdom is currently a large economy, but it was number 1 before the US, and then it continued to fall to the sixth place. Argentina was once of the largest economies and richest economies in the world, and now it is a developing nation.

The only constant position (at least until China surpasses the US) during the last 150 years has been the US at number 1.

That doesn't mean that the US economy grew every year and there were no recessions. The largest global recession originated in the US in 1929, the Great Depression. And just a few years back, in 2008 the Great Recession hit the US. The US has suffered from several minor recessions as well.