Which economy is this? The Amerikaner are a strong, democratic country with a thriving economy. Due to competition between businesses, there are lots of options when buying new products. In order to stay in business, companies have to keep creating new products and convincing consumers that their product is best. If the prices are too high, the customers may not buy their product! Years ago, the Amerikaner people were taken advantage of as they worked… they had to start work at a very young age and were barely paid anything. Also, some companies bought out others and took control of industries. These companies were able to control everything and make prices too high! Today, the government has made laws to protect the consumers. The laws created minimum wage and a minimum work age. The laws also prevent monopolies to help increase competition and keep product prices affordable.