Bei (thamani ya fedha ya bidhaa) ina nafasi muhimu katika mchakato wa uzalishaji, matumizi na usambazaji wa bidhaa na huduma kupitia kile ambacho wanakapitalisti wanakiita "utaratibu wa bei." Hii ni kanuni nyingine ya msingi ya ubepari. Adam Smith alikuwa wa kwanza kutaja utaratibu wa bei alipoandika kuhusu "mkono usioonekana wa utaratibu wa bei"34. Alieleza jinsi mkono usioonekana au uliofichika wa soko unavyofanya kazi katika soko la ushindani kupitia kufuatilia maslahi binafsi ili kugawa rasilimali kwa maslahi bora ya jamii. Huu bado ni msimamo mkuu wa wanauchumi wote wa soko huria, yaani wale wanaoamini katika fadhila za uchumi wa soko huria wenye uingiliaji mdogo wa serikali. Hii ndiyo kiini cha uchumi wa kisiasa wa ubepari.

The price (the monetary exchange value of a product) plays an important role in the process of production, consumption, and distribution of products and services through what capitalists call “the price mechanism.” This is another fundamental principle of capitalism. Adam Smith was the first to refer to the price mechanism when he wrote of the “invisible hand of the price mechanism”34. He described how the invisible or hidden hand of the market operates in a competitive market through the pursuit of self-interest to allocate resources in society’s best interest. This remains the central view of all free-market economists, i.e., those who believe in the virtues of a free-market economy with minimal government intervention. This is the essence of the political economics of capitalism.

Utaratibu wa bei ndio unaoamua ni yupi kati ya wazalishaji ataingia katika mbio za uzalishaji na ni yupi atakayetengwa. Vivyo hivyo, unaamua ni yupi kati ya watumiaji atakayetimiza mahitaji yake na ni yupi ambaye hataweza kufanya hivyo. Gharama ya uzalishaji wa bidhaa ndiyo kipengele kikuu kinachodhibiti usambazaji wake sokoni. Manufaa ya bidhaa ndiyo kipengele kikuu kinachodhibiti mahitaji ya soko kwa bidhaa hiyo. Thamani zote mbili hupimwa kwa bei. Dhana ya usambazaji na mahitaji hivyo inakuwa msingi katika utafiti wa ubepari. Usambazaji unarejelea usambazaji wa soko, na mahitaji yanarejelea mahitaji ya soko. Usambazaji na mahitaji vyote viwili vinahusiana kwa karibu na "bei"; kwa hiyo, utaratibu wa bei ni wa msingi katika uchumi wa ubepari. Mahitaji hubadilika kinyume na mabadiliko ya bei. Bei ikipanda, mahitaji hupungua; bei ikishuka, mahitaji huongezeka. Hili ni kinyume na usambazaji, ambao hubadilika moja kwa moja kulingana na bei. Kiwango cha usambazaji huongezeka bei inapopanda na hupungua bei inaposhuka. Katika pande zote mbili, bei ina athari kubwa zaidi kwa usambazaji na mahitaji; kwa hiyo, ina athari kubwa zaidi kwa uzalishaji na matumizi.

The price mechanism decides which of the producers will enter the production race and which will be excluded. In the same manner, it decides which of the consumers will satisfy their needs and which consumers will not be able to do so. The production cost of a commodity is the principal factor which controls its supply to the market. The benefit of the commodity is the principal factor which controls the market demand for the product. Both values are measured by the price. The supply and demand concept thus becomes a cornerstone in the study of capitalism. Supply refers to the supply of the market, and demand refers to the demand of the market. Both supply and demand are tightly coupled with “price”; hence, the price mechanism is fundamental to the economy of capitalism. Demand changes inversely proportional to the change in price. If price increases, then demand decreases; if price decreases, then demand increases. This is contrary to supply which changes directly proportional to the price. The level of supply increases as the price increases and it drops as price decreases. In both cases, price has the greatest effect on supply and demand; consequently, it has the greatest effect on production and consumption.

Utaratibu wa bei chini ya ubepari pia unachukua nafasi kubwa katika usambazaji wa bidhaa na huduma miongoni mwa watu katika jamii. Kwa mujibu wa "utaratibu wa bei," njia bora ya kusambaza bidhaa na huduma katika jamii ni ile inayohakikisha kiwango cha juu kabisa cha uzalishaji, ambayo pia inahakikisha kiwango cha juu cha malipo kwa juhudi za uzalishaji. Uhusiano huu kati ya uzalishaji (ugavi) na matumizi (mahitaji) unapovunjwa, hutokea kutokuwepo kwa usawa katika mfumo; hili linaweza kuwa kasoro iliyojificha ya uchumi wa kisiasa wa kibepari.

The price mechanism under capitalism plays a major role as well in the distribution of commodities and services amongst individuals in a society. According to the “price mechanism,” the ideal method to distribute commodities and services in a society is that which guarantees the highest possible level of production, which also guarantees the highest level of compensation for the efforts of production. When this relationship between production (supply) and consumption (demand) is violated, an imbalance occurs in the system; this could be a dormant fault of the capitalist political economy.

Ubepari unadai kwamba utaratibu wa bei hutoa usawa wa kiuchumi kiotomatiki. Unawapa watumiaji uhuru wa kuamua wenyewe jinsi rasilimali zinazomilikiwa na jamii zinavyogawanywa katika shughuli mbalimbali za kiuchumi. Hili hutimia pale watumiaji wanapodai bidhaa fulani na kuziacha nyingine. Watumiaji hutumia kipato chao (walichokipata kwa kubadilishana bidhaa zao au juhudi zao) kwa kununua kile wanachohitaji au wanachokitamani. Kwa hiyo, mtumiaji asiyependa pombe ataacha kuinunua na atatumia kipato chake kwa mambo mengine. Idadi ya watumiaji wanaochukia pombe ikiongezeka, au ikiwa watumiaji wote wataanza kuichukia, basi uzalishaji wa pombe unakuwa haulipi kutokana na kupungua kwa mahitaji. Hivyo, uzalishaji wa pombe ungekoma kwa njia ya kawaida. Kanuni hiyo hiyo inatumika kwa bidhaa na huduma nyingine. Kwa kuamua nini cha kununua na nini cha kuacha, watumiaji ndio wanaobainisha kiwango na aina ya uzalishaji.

Capitalism claims that the price mechanism produces economic equilibrium automatically. It gives the consumers the choice to decide for themselves the distribution of the resources owned by the society over the various economic activities. This is accomplished when the consumers demand some commodities and turn away from others. The consumers spend their income (which they obtained by means of exchanging their goods or efforts) by buying what they need or what they desire. Thus, the consumer who dislikes wine will abstain from buying it and spends his income on other things. If the number of consumers who dislike wine increases, or if all consumers come to dislike it, then the production of wine becomes unprofitable due to decrease in the demand. Thus, production of wine would stop in a natural way. The same rule applies to other commodities and services. By deciding what to buy and what to leave, the consumers define the level and kind of production.

Utaratibu wa bei ni mojawapo ya nguzo kuu za ubepari; unachukuliwa kuwa ndio kichocheo cha uzalishaji, mdhibiti wa usambazaji, na kiungo kati ya mzalishaji na mtumiaji; kwa kiini chake, ni njia ya kufikia usawa kati ya uzalishaji na matumizi.

The price mechanism is one of the main pillars of capitalism; it is considered to be the incentive for production, the regulator of distribution, and the link between the producer and the consumer; in essence it is the means for achieving equilibrium between production and consumption.

Inadaiwa kwamba motisha kuu ya mtu kufanya juhudi au kutoa dhabihu yoyote yenye tija ni malipo yake ya kimali. Ubepari huondoa uwezekano kwamba mtu hutumia juhudi kwa sababu ya motisha ya kimaadili au ya kiroho. Motisha ya kimaadili, ikiwa ipo kabisa, huhusishwa na fidia ya kimaada (fikiria motisha za kodi).

It is maintained that the principal motive for man to undertake any productive effort or sacrifice is his material reward. Capitalism excludes the possibility that man expends effort for a moral or spiritual motive. The moral motive, if it exists at all, is attributed to a materialist compensation (think of tax incentives).

Mwanadamu hutumia juhudi zake kutosheleza mahitaji na matamanio yake ya kimaada peke yake. Kutosheleza huku hupatikana either kwa kutumia bidhaa ambazo yeye mwenyewe huzizalisha moja kwa moja, au kwa kupokea malipo ya fedha yanayomwezesha kupata bidhaa na huduma zinazozalishwa na wengine. Kwa kuwa mwanadamu hutegemea kutosheleza mahitaji yake mengi, ikiwa si yote, kwa kubadilishana juhudi zake na wengine, basi kutosheleza mahitaji huelekezwa katika kupata malipo ya fedha kwa juhudi zake. Malipo haya ya fedha humwezesha kupata bidhaa na huduma, na kwa hivyo mwanadamu hahitaji kuelekeza nguvu zake zote kwenye bidhaa anazozalisha yeye mwenyewe. Kwa hiyo, malipo ya fedha, ambayo ni bei, ndiyo kichocheo kinachomsukuma mwanadamu kuzalisha. Hivi ndivyo "bei" inavyochukuliwa kuwa motisha ya uzalishaji.

Man expends his efforts to satisfy his materialistic needs and wishes only. This satisfaction is either through the consumption of commodities which he produces directly or through receiving a monetary reward that enables him to obtain the commodities and services produced by others. Since man depends in satisfying most of his needs, if not all of them, on exchanging his efforts with others, then the satisfaction of needs is focused on obtaining a monetary reward for his efforts. This monetary reward allows him to obtain commodities and services, and accordingly man does not have to focus entirely on the commodities which he produces. Therefore, the monetary reward, which is the price, is the motive for man to produce. This is how “the price” is considered the incentive for production.

Mbali ya kuwa kichocheo cha uzalishaji, bei pia hudhibiti usambazaji. Katika hali ya kawaida, mwanadamu hupenda kukidhi mahitaji yake yote kikamilifu, na hujitahidi kupata bidhaa na huduma zinazokidhi mahitaji hayo. Iwapo mwanadamu ataachwa huru kukidhi mahitaji yake, hangesita kumiliki na kutumia bidhaa yoyote anayoitaka. Kwa sababu ya ukomo wa uwezo wa mwanadamu na uhaba wa rasilimali, mwanadamu analazimika kusimamisha kukidhi mahitaji yake kwa kiwango fulani. Hiki ndicho kiwango ambacho anaweza kumudu kubadilishana juhudi zake na juhudi za wengine, yaani, kiwango cha fidia ya fedha anayopokea kwa kutumia juhudi zake; huu ndio ukomo wa bei.

Besides being an incentive for production, the price also regulates distribution. In the normal case, man likes to satisfy all of his needs completely and he strives to obtain the commodities and services which satisfy these needs. If man is left free to satisfy his needs, he would not stop short of possessing and consuming whatever commodity he likes. Because of the limitation of man’s capabilities and the scarcity of resources, man has to stop satisfying his needs at a certain limit. This is the limit at which he can afford to exchange his efforts with others efforts, that is, at the limit of the monetary compensation which he receives for expending his effort; this is the limit of the price.

Bei hujifunga kwa kanuni ya bei huweka kizuizi kinachomzuia mtu kumiliki na kutumia kwa kiwango kinacholingana na kipato chake. Bei hudhibiti uchaguzi wa mwanadamu kati ya mahitaji yanayoshindana; yeye hukidhi kile anachokiona kuwa cha lazima na kuacha kile anachokiona kuwa cha umuhimu mdogo. Hivyo, bei humlazimisha mtu kuridhika na kukidhi kwa kiasi baadhi ya mahitaji yake kwa gharama ya mengine. Hivi ndivyo bei inavyodhibiti matumizi ya bidhaa na huduma kwa watu binafsi. Madeni katika ubepari yametumika kupanua uwezo wa watumiaji wa kutumia bidhaa nyingi zaidi ya walizoweza kuzimudu bila kukopa fedha. Madeni katika ubepari yamekuwa jambo kuu lililoenea baada ya mfumo wa mikopo kuenea sana.

The price provides a constraint which acts naturally to restrict man’s possession and consumption to a level which is proportional to his income. The price regulates man’s choice between competing needs; he proceeds to satisfy what he finds necessary and leaves what he finds of less importance. Thus, the price forces the individual to settle for partial satisfaction of some of his needs at the expense of others. This is how the price regulates the consumption of utilities by individuals. Indebtedness within capitalism has been used to expand the consumers’ abilities to consume more products than they could afford without borrowing money. Indebtedness within capitalism has grown to be a dominant phenomenon after the widespread use of the credit system.

Bei pia hudhibiti usambazaji wa huduma chache kwa watumiaji wanaozihitaji. Tofauti za mapato baina ya watumiaji husababisha tofauti katika kiwango cha matumizi ya watu kulingana na mapato yao. Bidhaa zenye bei kubwa zitapatikana kwa wale tu wanaoweza kuzimudu; bidhaa zenye bei ndogo zitatumiwa na watu wanaoweza kumudu bei hizo za chini. Kwa hiyo bei inakuwa kidhibiti cha kugawa huduma miongoni mwa watumiaji, kwa kuweka bei kubwa kwa baadhi ya bidhaa na huduma, na bei ndogo kwa nyingine.

The price also regulates the distribution of limited utilities amongst the consumers who demand these utilities. The disparity between the incomes of the consumers leads to a variation in the level of consumption by people based on their incomes. More pricy commodities will be available only to those who can afford them; less pricy commodities would be consumed by people who can afford the lower prices. The price, thus, becomes the regulator in distributing utilities amongst consumers by setting a high price for some commodities and services and a low price for others.

Utaratibu wa bei pia unawajibika kufikia usawa kati ya uzalishaji na matumizi kwa kuweka uhusiano kati ya mzalishaji na mtumiaji. Mzalishaji hutengeneza bidhaa ili kutimiza matakwa ya watumiaji; hupata thawabu kupitia faida. Mzalishaji angepata hasara ikiwa bidhaa hazitakubaliwa na watumiaji. Mzalishaji hugundua matakwa ya watumiaji kupitia bei. Ikiwa bei ya bidhaa itapanda kutokana na ongezeko la mahitaji, uzalishaji pia huongezeka.

The price mechanism is also responsible for achieving equilibrium between production and consumption by establishing a link between the producer and the consumer. The producer makes products to fulfill the desires of the consumers; he is rewarded through profits. The producer would lose if the products are not accepted by the consumers. The producer detects the desires of the consumers through the price. If the price of a commodity increases as a result of increased demand, the production increases as well.

Kinyume chake, uzalishaji hupungua iwapo bei itashuka kutokana na kupungua kwa mahitaji sokoni. Mwitikio wa soko kwa ongezeko na upungufu wa bei unaosababishwa na mabadiliko ya mahitaji hufanya utaratibu wa bei kuwa chombo kinachofikia usawa kati ya uzalishaji na matumizi, pamoja na kiungo kinachounganisha mzalishaji na mlaji; mchakato huu hutokea wenyewe bila kuhitaji uingiliaji wa nje. Hii ndiyo kiini cha utaratibu wa bei katika uchumi wa kisiasa wa ubepari. Ni nguzo kuu ya uchumi. Utaratibu wa bei ukishindwa kufikia malengo yanayotarajiwa ya usawa, ugawaji wa utajiri, na uchumi uliosawazika, huo ni madhara kwa msingi wa ubepari.

Conversely, production decreases if the price drops due to a decrease in the market demand. The response of the market to the price increase and decrease due to variations in the demand makes the price mechanism a tool which achieves equilibrium between production and consumption and a link between the producer and the consumer; this process occurs automatically without the need of external intervention. This is the essence of the price mechanism in the political economy of capitalism. It constitutes a cornerstone of the economy. The failure of the price mechanism to achieve the desired objectives of equilibrium, wealth distribution, and balanced economy is detrimental to the foundation of capitalism.

Kulingana na nadharia ya utaratibu wa bei, wanauchumi wa kibepari wanahitimisha kwamba njia bora ya kugawa utajiri miongoni mwa wanachama wa jamii ni ile inayohakikisha kiwango cha juu kabisa kinachowezekana cha uzalishaji; bidhaa zitasambazwa kiasili kupitia bei ya bidhaa. Uzalishaji huongezeka pale malipo ya juhudi za mzalishaji yanapoongezeka. Dhana ya msingi hapa ni kwamba manufaa ya bidhaa ni matokeo ya juhudi za binadamu peke yake. Lakini hili si sahihi kila wakati. Manufaa awali yanapatikana katika bidhaa katika hali yake ya msingi na ghafi kama alivyoziumba Mwenyezi Mungu. Juhudi na kazi ya binadamu husaidia kubadilisha malighafi hizo, baada ya aina fulani za usindikaji, kuwa umbo na hali inayoweza kutumika au kupendwa na mlaji. Si sahihi kusema kwamba manufaa ya bidhaa yanaumbwa kikamilifu na binadamu. Kwa kweli, zipo malighafi fulani zenye manufaa bila juhudi yoyote ya binadamu. Mifano bora na rahisi zaidi ni hewa, maji, malisho, misitu, na mengineyo mengi. Kwa hiyo, kuzingatia manufaa kuwa ni matokeo ya juhudi za binadamu peke yake si sahihi; inapuuza malighafi na rasilimali nyingine zinazopatikana kwa urahisi. Hivyo, si sahihi pia kudai kwamba bei (ambayo ni fidia ya juhudi za binadamu) ndiyo kipimo kinachodhibiti kiwango cha uzalishaji.

Based on the price mechanism theory, the capitalist economists conclude that the ideal method to distribute the wealth among the members of society is that which guarantees the highest possible level of production; the products will naturally be distributed through the price of products. The production increases when the reward for the efforts exerted by the producer increases. The underlying assumption here is that the benefit of products is the result of man’s efforts only. But this is not always true. Benefits initially are found in products in their most basic and raw form as created by God. The effort and labor of man help transfer the raw materials after certain types of processing to a form and shape usable or desirable by the consumer. It is not accurate to say that the benefit of a product is entirely created by man. In fact, there are certain raw materials which carry benefit without the least amount of efforts from man. The best and simplest examples are the air, water, meadows, forests, and many others. So, considering the benefit as a result of human efforts only is inaccurate; it neglects the raw material and other readily available resources. Then, it is not accurate to claim that the price (which is the compensation for man’s efforts) is the parameter which controls the level of production.

Vivyo hivyo hivyo, kupungua kwa kiwango cha uzalishaji hakutokani peke yake na kupungua kwa malipo ya kazi. Uzalishaji unaweza kupungua kutokana na kuisha kwa rasilimali za asili, kudorora kwa utajiri wa nchi, vita, majanga ya kimaumbile, au sababu nyingine.

Similarly, the decline in the level of production does not result solely from a decrease in the reward for work. Production can decline as a result of the depletion of natural resources, decline in the wealth of the country, wars, natural disasters, or other reasons.