What is the concept of surplus value?

Surplus value is a key concept in Marxist economics, referring to the difference between the value produced by labor and the wages paid to laborers. It represents the profit that capitalists derive from the labor of workers, as workers create more value through their labor than they receive in compensation. This exploitation is fundamental to capitalism, where the accumulation of surplus value drives profit and economic growth, often at the expense of fair labor practices. Ultimately, surplus value highlights the inherent inequalities in capitalist systems.