Evolution of Concepts of Household's Role in Providing Onward Economic Development

Abstract This article provides the research study results of alternative schools and trends, within the scope of which the analysis of the households’ essence as the subject of economic relations having influence on the dynamics of basic macroeconomic indicators was carried out. The conducted research allowed to reveal economic ideas concerning households as the basic unit of traditional economics (pre-market household epoch), rational subjects of economic relations focused on maximization of their own utility (free market epoch) and contractual relationship agents making decisions under the conditions of uncertainty of external environment (regulated market epoch). Special attention is given to the economic views of the Russian economic school representatives.