The '''invisible hand''' is [[Adam Smith]]'s name for the theorized [[economic]] force trend towards productivity and efficiency that results when [[government]] gets out of the way stops interfering in markets trying to steer them and allows individuals and companies corporations to fend for themselves and reap the full rewards benefits of their own hard work and innovation.
[[Economist]] [[Adam Smith]] is credited with discovering 's promotion and promoting popularization of the concept in his 1776 book [[The Wealth of the '''invisible hand'''Nations]], and it propelled the [[British Empire]] to become the greatest power in the history of the world in the 19th century.
He theorized that the self-interest of individuals acting independently will lead to a socially optimal outcome:<ref>[http://www.econlib.org/LIBRARY/Smith/smWN13.html ''Wealth of Nations'', Book IV, Chapter 2]</ref>