Think for a second about the global economy — in particular, the financial system — and then ask yourself this question: Does it work? Does the giant network we have of banks and consumers and businesses do what it’s supposed to do, let people get their hands on the money they need to buy and sell and, over the long run, thrive?

David Brancaccio looks how decisions made by the world’s central banks will affect business owners and lenders on Marketplace: